Origins: Part One - The Brothers who came first
by Steampunk Wilson
Summary: Half Dragon and half Oni brothers, Mauricious and Thekallcius decide to escape their home realm to seek a life elsewhere, but quickly learn that creating a place to belong isn't as easy as it sounds, especially when they learn the true meanings of good and evil, and the powers they each hold. Part One of two, my take on Ninjago's origins.
1. Chapter 1

**As you may have guessed from the title, this story is my own take on the origins of the 1st spinjitzu master and Ninjago. It's part one of two parts, the second will be focusing on Wu and Garmadon.**

 **The rating may change because of violence, though I'm going to cut down on my use of cursewords. :) The story may also be very confusing at times.**

 **Some pronunciation help: Mauricious: More, ish, us. Thekallcius: Theck, al, see, us**

 **Yeah, crazy names, but they're from a different realm, so they're not going to be Bob or Simon ;)**

 **Whatever, I hope you enjoy :)**

We stand in front of all of them, the crystal we stole in my brother's hands. Though I'm generally a kind and humorous person, my expression today is murderous. I'm angry. So, so angry.

"What is he doing!" Cried the dragon king from his throne perch, not even bothering to come down. Too lazy, too evil. They say those with the power of creation are always good, they are most definitely WRONG! They are either good or they are evil or they are both.

"Hey, there are TWO of us!" I snapped at him, at the dragon who murdered my father because he had been kind enough to love an Oni. "Why do you always refer to twins as one person?"

"It is our way." The dragon king snapped back, and unbelievably, he gets down from the throne! I feel like laughing. Too late, old man. Both the armies of the dragon and the Oni surround us two, but we stare bravely back, united, like always. From the very beginning, from when mother gave birth to us, we were together, and we've always been brave. She hid us in that tree for years, the half dragon, half Oni creatures, one with the power to create, and one with the power to destroy.

"Mauricious." Thekallcius mutters to me. "Do you think, maybe we should get out of here?"

"Oh, yeah, right." I suddenly realise and remember why we even stole the crystal to begin with. He holds it out to me and I take it.

"Listen up!" I shout, and the worried chatter dies down. "We are sick and tired of all of you, trying to pull us into a war where we have to place. Our parents chose to opt out of it, and we do too."

"We're leaving!" Thekallcius announces. "You see this crystal?" He holds us the crystal which was once a lump of the dragon king's throne that father hacked off with his claws. I'm an expert carver if I do say so myself.

"Where did you get that?" The dragon king snarls.

"Where do you think?" Thekallcius replies smoothly, a smug little grin on his face.

"The dragon king's throne!" A random dragon soldier exclaims. "The crystal, it can absorb the magic of good and evil for any purpose!"

"Yes it can." I reply, putting my hand to the crystal. "The magic of creation and destruction though, not good and evil. We are living proof that creation and destruction does not define your nature. Our father was a dragon, yet he betrayed his own kind for an Oni! Our mother is the kindest person we have ever met, and she is that Oni. Far kinder than your king!" I point with my free hand to the dragon king, who gasps in anger.

"Mauricious, Thekallcius, NO!" Comes a scream from the Oni's lot and we turn to see our mother, struggling to get through the crowd, pushing past her fellows.

"I'm sorry mother." Thekallcius says. "But there is no place for us here." The long blonde fur on top of his head blows in the sudden wind that I know we have created. He calls our head fur, hair, but I just call things what they are. My head fur is dark, like our mother's fur. Thekallcius got the blonde colour of our father's scales. I shudder briefly, thinking of the last time we ever saw our father.

"Goodbye mother." I say, and I can see the sadness on her face. I turn away and concentrate on the crystal. Me and Thekallcius have planned this, the power of creation shall be used to create a rift between the dimensions, and the power of destruction to destroy it afterward. We each use our power to make it happen.

The rift appears, much to my surprise. I didn't actually think it would work.

"Stop them!" The dragon king cries, and his armies surge forwards, but suddenly, a huge crack in the floor appears around us, filled with lava. I see mother smiling, her hands clenched in her magical effort. I say a silent thanks, and I feel Thekallcius's hand slide into my own. I take a deep breath. We don't belong here, we never did. It's time to start a new.

The crystal does it's work. The rift through different realms and dimensions, opens above our heads. I gasp in surprise. Even I didn't expect it to work.

"Come." Thekallcius says softly to me. "Mauri?" He calls me Mauri, no one else does. I wouldn't let them.

"Yes, Theke." I say, taking one last look at the raging dragons and shocked Oni. Our heritage, our home. Can we really say goodbye forever?

Yes. We must.

Thekallcius takes a deep breath and transforms into his dragon form, and I do the same. Despite our strange appearance, short, nearly invisible fur covering our bodies, teeth and eyes like a dragon had (Oni's do not), and the same limbs and body shape as an Oni, we have always been able to transform into a dragon or and On form, rather useful for disguising ourselves as one or the other. Now our wings spread and we soar upwards, above the two battling species, above the dragon king's palace, above the world we once called home.

We don't know what we'll find on the other side. But at least we'll have each other.

Me and Thekallcius turn our heads to the portal as it swallows us up.

 **So, chapter one, what do you think? Obviously, it's quite different from my other fanfictions, and probably won't feature the ninja (except from a baby Lloyd), but Morro may make an appearance in Part Two.**

 **So, let me know what you think?**


	2. Silver Fish

_Mauricious!_

 _Who, who are you?_

 _I am you, the future you, I carry a warning!_

 _He does look worried, even though I can't quite make him out, it's too dark._

 _Warning of what?_

 _Great danger. Trust..._

 _Trust? Trust who? Trust what?_

 _I must go._

 _He turns and looks behind him._

 _Wait, what?_

 _I'm sorry..._

 _Sorry? Sorry for what?_

 _Everything..._

 _..._

"Mauri!"

I groan and blink my eyes open. Thekallcius is above me as I groan and sit up. I'm in my normal form again. For a moment, I'm confused. This isn't home. The sky is different, it's another colour, rather than the golden sky at home. This sky is a pale green, like the dragon king's scales...

I suddenly remember and sit bolt upright, almost smacking my forehead into Thekallcius's.

"What, where are we?" I splutter, before collecting myself again.

"I don't know." He replies. I take a proper look around. My mouth drops open.

It's beautiful.

We're in a secluded little valley, the green sky shining above us, a waterfall tumbling down over some yellow rock. The water seems to be streaked with siver. The only side of the area not framed by the rockface or cut off by the river is the edge of a lush forest, the dark green leaves framing the pale brown tree trunks. The trees are different to those back home, shorter maybe...

Then I remember. That is our home no longer.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Thekallcius exclaims, and I nod in agreement.

"I wonder where it is."

"Well, to find out, we may as well explore."

I nod and get to my feet, my future self's words still ringing in my ears. Trust. Trust your brother? Trust yourself? Trust no one? I hope not, I have trusted Thekallcius my entire life and don't intend to stop now.

"Are you sure you're alright Mauri?" He asks. I nod quickly. For some reason, I don't want to tell him about what I heard. It was probably my imagination anyway.

"I'm fine." I tell him. "Actually, no, I'm thirsty. But that can't be resolved."

"Ahem." He says, and gestures to the waterfall. It is true, we have been drinking out of similar streams and springs our entire lives.

"But, we don't know anything about this place." I protest. "We don't even know if the water is safe to drink!"

"Well, we better try it then. It'll go first, then you can make a cure if I get ill." This seemed like a fair deal to me, so I watch as he goes over to the waterfall and cups his hands through the water. He suddenly jumps back in surprise.

"There are fish in the water, come look!" He exclaims. I hurry over, because I do have a passion for animals. He's right, the silver things streaking through the water are tiny silver fish.

"Aren't they amazing?" He exclaims, and I can't help but nod in agreement. He gently tips the fish out of his cupped hands and takes a gulp of the clear water.

"How is it?" I ask nervously. He swallows and frowns.

"Hmm, minty with a slight hint of..." He suddenly gasps and drops to the ground, clutching at his throat.

"Theke!" I scream as he writhes on the ground, gagging and spluttering. "THEKE!"

He makes a raspy choking noise, trying to talk.

"I'll make you cure, I-" But suddenly, the noise stops and he goes limp, his eyes shut, his hands laying limp on his chest.

"Theke?" I ask, dropping to my knees. "Thekallcius?" I can feel tears pricking my eyes, no, not Theke, not my brother, I can't do this alone, I need him...

His eyes pop open and he grins. "Gotcha!"

"THEKE!" I exclaim, quickly wiping my eyes. "NOT FUNNY!" He sits up, laughing his head off. I want to slap him, but hug him as well, just so glad that he's alive.

"Water's safe." He tells me and, scowling I put my hands out to catch the water. I sip, and immediately choke and spit out the fish I've almost swallowed. I hear laughter.

"That wasn't funny either!" I snap crossly at him.

"No, not really. But he seems to think so." I turn curiously, and to my surprise, we're not alone.

At the edge of the forest, there's a creature, a boy, I think. But that's not the most shocking thing, this boy doesn't look like an Oni. Or a dragon.

He looks like us.

"Oh My." Thekallcius gasps. The boy's finished laughing, and he's staring at us curiously.

"Why aren't you dressed proper?" He asks, frowning.

"Proper? What do you mean?" Thekallcius asks. I'm too shocked to move now, this boy actually speaks our language!

The boy gestures to himself and we can see he's wearing some kind of material, over his legs and chest. Me and Thekallcius have never worn things like that, we have our cloaks that our mother says every young Oni should wear, and leather 'harness' over our waists, which our father says every young dragon should wear. But this boy is frowning at our attire like it's something that spat on his feet.

"So, we're meant to wear what you wear?" Thekallcius asks slowly. The boy, still frowning, nods sternly.

"Fair enough." He says, and gives me a nudge. "Mauri!"

"What?" I ask, snapping out of my shocked/confused trance.

"Clothes." He tells me. "Chop, chop!"

"Why?" I ask him. "We've always worn these!"

"We need to fit in with the locals." He tells me, frowning. "We already look them, or this one anyway, and if we're to find our home here, we need to dress like them too."

"Fine!" I snap, and hold my hands cupped in front of me. A small ball of light appears, which grows until you can see threads forming and knitting themselves together. I focus my attention on growing the clothes, feeling bitterness towards this new world, and to my brother for some reason. It's ridiculous, and I know it, he's only trying to help and to fit in with the locals and create our life out of nothing, but I don't totally want to abandon mother and father's culture for something new.

"Done yet?" He asks from where he's stood, he's gone over, closer to the boy, leaving me alone.

"Almost." I call angrily back, then take a deep breath, calming down. Thekallcius hasn't done anything wrong.

"Done now." I call over, and throw him a shirt. It's deep red, like his cloak. My cloak is light blue, mother made them to match our head fur colours. I also throw him a pair of lightly coloured trousers, identical to the boy's, only bigger. We put them on quickly. I keep my cloak on, and after a second's thought, so does Thekallcius.

"So, kid, where's your family?" I ask the boy. He gives a small smile.

"I'll show you." He says, and turns, going back into the forest. Me and Thekallcius shrug, then follow him.

 **Yeah, so Mauri and Theke have found a new realm (which is not Ninjago, by the way), and they're going to find out more about realm creation and how everyone's human here, next chapter :)**

 **I can reveal that another main character will appear after Ninjago is created, who I'm quite excited about.**

 **Yeah, I don't know when I'll update again.**


	3. Dragons need helemts

**Been a bit more time than I'd usually wait before updating, but I've been busy :) And the site wouldn't let me on ALL DAY yesterday, so my apologies that it's late.**

 **By the way, Mauri and Theke are about sixteen. Well, look about sixteen.**

We've bee following the boy for a while, and I'm starting to get a bit overwhelmed. This whole valley is beautiful, the trees are lush green and filled with bright blue fruit, which the boy points at.

"That's nice. You should try it." He says. Thekallcius shrugs and picks one.

"No more death jokes!" I say warningly. He grins and takes a bite. He frowns, then smiles. Then shudders.

"Oh my, that's SOUR!" He places the fruit onto the ground. I don't bother taking a bite. The boy frowns at him.

"I don't taste it very well."

"Well, we're part dragon. They have very strong taste buds." Thekallcius says, and I quickly elbow him in the ribs. "Argh, what?"

"I don't think we should be telling everyone we meet about our heritage." I whisper sharply, eying the boy with suspicion. "Maybe they hate dragons or something?"

"Relax. I doubt these guys even know what a dragon is." Thekallcius tells me, looking at the boy with lazy interest, annoyingly, as usual.

"I know dragons." The boy said quickly. "They're all big and scaly and they have MASSIVE wings, like this!" He spreads out his arms and flaps them, admittedly, like a dragon.

"See!" I hiss to Thekallcius, who shrugs. This realm gets more mysterious by the minute.

The boy stops his flapping and looks sadly at the ground. "Sometimes, dragons get very angry. Sometimes, dragons fly to your house and burn it all down so daddy gets trapped inside and throws you out the window..." He clenched his fists.

"Yeah, dragons are jerks." Thekallcius mutters. "Most of them, anyway." He kneels down by the boy and puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Our daddy's dead as well." He tells him. "I didn't see it, but Mauri did." He gestures briefly at me.

"Mauri?" The boy asks.

"Yeah, that's Mauri over there. Mauricious. It means, power. I'm Theke, or Thekallcius. That means 'golden'."

"I'm Thsaa." The boy tells us. "I don't know what it means." He admits.

"Nice to meet you, Thsaa." Theke says. I have no idea how he got so good with children, we've never met any like us. Just little dragon hatchlings and Oni younglings. Oni mate for life, but dragons have several partners throughout their life, especially males. We have five half-siblings.

"Come on!" Thsaa calls, jogging ahead slightly on his little legs. Thekallcius stands up.

"Coming?" He asks. I nod and come grumpily forward. He frowns. "Mauri. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I say sharply, walking briskly ahead. He catches up easily, or maybe I let him.

"Come on, what is it?" He asks. I sigh.

"When we got here, I thought it would be the two of us, our own life. But now we've got all these other people who are the same... 'type' as us for some reason, and I'm not looking forward to meeting them. I'm not very social."

"I'll do the talking for you." Thekallcius grins, then he drops it. "But Mauri, I never said we had to stay here. Just meet the locals, perhaps find out why they're so much like us, then build our own place. Or take the crystal to a different place."

"Oh no, the crystal!" I suddenly gasp, fear and panic flooding my mind. "Where-"

"Don't worry, I have it." Thekallcius tells me, and I relax as he taps the pocket sewn into the lining of his cloak. "And I promise I won't talk too much about where we came from, or-" But his words are cut off by a scream, a child's scream. Thsaa.

"Thsaa!" Thekallcius shouts, and we take off at a run, down the path, through the trees, until...

The forest opens out into a clearing and we see a whole village, unlike anything we've ever seen before, filled with oddly shaped houses.

A village that's under attack.

People are running and screaming everywhere, the wooden houses are on fire and there was that dangerous stench of death that we could just sense, due to our battle-ridden past.

"Look at that!" I call, pointing, and we both look up to see...

A dragon.

"What!" Thekallcius exclaims. "They, did they come for us?"

"I don't think so, actually." I tell him. "Look at them, they look different, less long, their wings are smaller, they're less muscly. These dragons aren't at war, they're just lazy and unevolved. I'd be willing to bet they don't have creation power either."

The pair of us turn our attention away from the dragons in the sky, and I see Thekallcius looking around for Thsaa. He's nowhere here.

"He'll have gone to help his family." I tell him, but our conversation is cut off when a dragon lands in front of us. I gasp and take a step back as it grins evilly at us. Automatically, Thekallcius transforms into a dragon behind me, and I attempt to do the same, but I'm so caught up in my memories and panic that I turn into an Oni instead.

The dragon is surprised, and it comes closer, frowning curiously at me, a nod of recognition at Thekallcius. That proves my theory, these dragons have never seen Oni before. And something else occurs to me. They're not wearing a battle helmet. Back home, no, back there, Oni figured out pretty quickly that they can slit dragon's heads open with their long claws very easily, and that's one enemy taken care of. So dragons combated the move by wearing heavy steel battle helmets, so that put an end to that. But these dragons have never seen an Oni before.

They don't have creation power and they don't wear helmets.

I take a deep breath, and dart forwards, slashing hard with my claws. Oni have a telepathic vision of the world, a kind of infra red, which means you can never close your eyes. So I have to watch as the dragon's head is split clean open and all it's brains and blood spill out. I revert back to my normal form instantly, stumbling away, gagging.

"You're right!" Thekallcius exclaims, reverting back also. "They don't have helmets!"

"I think I'm going to be sick." I mutter.

"Come on, pull yourself together!" Thekallcius exclaims. "These people need our help."

I take a deep breath. "I'm better in Oni form than you are." I tell him. "I'll use dragon form to get close, then attack in Oni, you use your power to get rid of all the fire. Destroy it.

Thekallcius nods, and he runs off into the village. I take a deep breath and transform into a dragon, then fly up into the sky, ready to cut some heads.

 **Sorry it's not very intense or anything, and just creates questions, but I haven't got much writing time, so may as well post when I can :)**

 **By the way, Thsaa is named after the alien in Mars Evacuees.**


	4. The Oldest Men

Within ten minutes, it's all over. My claws are stained with blood, and I can't stand the feeling. It makes me feel sick, death and destruction caused by myself. This is what we ran away from, right?

I land in my Oni form on the hard ground, and try to slip away, but it's too late, because they're coming from everywhere, out from buildings, up from, trapdoors in the ground. They have clearly prepared for attacks like this. But I don't care, can't care, because they're all coming at me, staring, whispering. I can hear them.

"What is it, mother?"

"I don't know!"

"It must be dangerous."

"Stay away Joseph!"

"I wonder what it looks like on the inside..." An old male clutches a knife. I gasp and take a step back. It's all coming back...

 _Urgh, what is it?_

 _Where's it's wings_

 _Where's its claws?_

 _What a freak._

 _Kill it!_

"Theke!" I cry out, looking wildly around. Where is he?

I revert back to my usual form. Everyone gasps.

"A shapeshifter!" Cries one, a female I think.

"Bet it's a dragon."

"Kill it!"

"NO!" Comes a cry and I see Thekallcius running over. I sigh in relief as he comes to my side.

"Who are you?" Cries another person.

"Theke!" Comes a call, and Thsaa is at the front suddenly, pointing.

"What?" Cries a female, catching Thsaa's arm.

"That's Theke, with the blonde hair. And Mauri has the dark brown hair." He points, Thekallcius grins.

"See, it IS called hair!" He says triumphantly, but then notices that I'm really worried.

"Thsaa!" The female exclaims. She looks a lot like him. "Do you know these... things." Things. Not people. I should have reverted to this form earlier.

"Yeah, I saw them fall out of the sky, then they landed by the waterfall. They got up and drank and then met me, and Mauri made clothes out of nothing!" He exclaims. I feel myself blush. Everyone starts muttering, and Thekallcius, with a side-glance at me, steps forward and raises his hand.

"Please, good people, before you judge my brother and me, listen to what we have to say." He says in a commanding way. The people quiet down, a few even sit down, which is good, because we'll be here a while.

"Our names are Mauricious and Thekallcius." Thekallcius says. "We were born in another realm, but had to escape because we were... different. There's a war there that we don't want to be part of. We've created a crystal to allow us to travel through different realms, and if you do not want us, we will gladly go on our way." He takes a breath and finishes. He's brave, my brother. So brave.

A few older looking people are standing at the back, muttering amongst themselves. Everyone turns towards them, so I guess they must be leaders of some sort. Eventually, a very old one strides out towards us. I shrink back behind my brother as Thekallcius stands tall and proud.

"Your story..." The old one wheezes. "There are many realms that were created by realm-crossers, all from the first realm. They made a void and created life, but in order for there to be life, there must be balance. Destruction must be used to create life also." Me and Thekallcius look at each other. "Are you realm-crossers also?"

"Not really, no." Thekallcius tells him. "We just want a place to live." The old person frowns.

"You helped in the attack. I saw a fantastic creature slicing open the dragons, and... What was your name again?"

"Thekallcius." Thekallcius tells him.

"Thekallcius putting out fires by... I have no idea. And one of our children says you can make things out of nothing." He frowns at me. "Please, tell me, what are you really."

"Your imminence, if you don't mind, could this discussion be continued in the morning, or somewhere else?" A young male calls from the crowd. "There as just been an attack, there are buildings to repair and children to put to bed."

The old person nods. "Yes, people of Granthavia Valley, mend your houses and look after your children. I and the council of elders shall speak with Thekallcius and his brother in the council hut."

"I'm Mauricious." I tell him as the crowd gradually disperses. He gives a nod.

"Come Mauricious and Thekallcius. We all have explaining to do."

 _IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

"So, start at the beginning." The old man (I have learnt the terms of man, woman and child now) says. "Where did the pair of you come from?"

We're in a small, but cosy hut, a fire is roaring in a grate (which puts us on edge, but no one seems to be worried), and there are comfy cushions which we sit on.

Thekallcius takes a deep breath. I sit back, we may be here a while.

"We were born in a realm, a little like this one, only different colours, shapes... different everything now I come to think of it."

"You say that you are different from your home's other inhabitants." The old man asks. "How so?"

"Well..." Thekallcius frowns, wondering how to put it. I decide to take over to give his throat a bit of rest.

"The inhabitants of our realm are different to yours." I tell him. "The creature I turned into before, that is called an Oni. The other inhabitant is the dragons."

The men gasp, they've probably all had their fair share of dragon attacks, especially by looking at the scar over the face of one, and the burns up their arms.

"The Oni have the power to destroy things." I continue. "And the dragons, to create. Obviously, these are a little less evolved, and I don't think have the powers that the dragons from our realm have. Me and my brother are the spawn of the forbidden love between a dragon and an Oni."

Their reaction is as expected, shock, horror, confusion.

"Impossible." The one with the scratch over his eye exclaims. "Dragons cannot love."

"Our father is different to the dragons you have experienced." Thekallcius says. "Our father loved his mother with all the love he could ever muster, and was killed because of it."

"By your mother?" One asks.

"No!" I exclaim. "By his own king! Though our mother had the power of destruction, she was the kindest person I have ever met!" I'm kind of offended that these people, judging our mother like that.

"So, the dragons are good and the Oni, evil?" One woman asks. "That is what they war about?"

"No. Some dragons are filthy evil and some Oni are beautifully kind." Thekallcius snaps. "I have the power of destruction, yet I used it to destroy many fires today!" He scowls, and I do to, I can't stand the fact that people judge my brother on his ability.

"So Thekallcius has the power to destroy." The oldest man asks. "And Mauricious, to create, I assume?"

"Yeah." I say. "But neither of us are evil."

"I see."

"Look, bud." Thekallcius says, frowning. "We've told you enough about ourselves, your turn to talk. Where do you people come from, are you, the spawn of dragon and Oni too?"

"Oh no, we're a species of our own." The oldest man tells us. "A species called, human."

"So, where did the... humans, come from?" I ask.

"I assume we were created this way." The man tells us. "When the realm-crossers came to create our world, they must have designed us to look like... part dragon, part Oni."

Thekallcius frowns, as do I. It's confusing and vague, but it's most likely the best we're going to get.

"It's late." The oldest man stands up. "We should all retire. The pair of you can sleep in the attack shelter."


	5. Undeserved Attack

_I'm running down the corridor. He's late, where is he? Mother said not to, Theke said not to, but for once I didn't listen. I want to shout, but this is enemy territory, and I don't dare._

 _I turn a corner and there he is. But something's wrong. He's on his side, and there's others. I fall back immediately._

 _"Good riddance." Their king snarls. He goes in for the kill._

 _Before I know it, I'm a dragon, I soar in, roaring, I scratch and bite and they run. Leaving us._

 _"Mauricious!" He cries, and I revert to normal._

 _"Father!" He coughs, his golden scales stained with the red of dragon blood. There are scratch marks too, but I can't tell what's wrong._

 _"Father, what did they do to you?" I gasp. "Are-"_

 _"Poison." He gasps. "I can barely see you, or hear..." He trails off. He's injured in and out. I feel tears pricking my eyes._

 _"Father, no, don't. We need you! I need you!"_

 _"You're strong Mauricious." He sighs. "You have Thekallcius. And you're strong enough on your own." He gives a smile, and coughs again. "You're my son."_

 _"I'm glad I am." I tell him. "I would want no one else as my father, you're amazing." He gives a tiny smile._

 _"I got it." He says weakly, and lifts his wing so I can see the lump of crystal. His body wracked by a sudden spasm and I scream._

 _"FATHER!"_

 _"Mauricious, must, go, destruction, evil..." He trails off with a cough. His green eyes fade away._

 _"NO!" I scream, but he's gone, and his blood's on my hands..._

"Mauri? Mauri!"

I sit up with a panicked gasp and see the green eyes of my brother above me, shiny in the dark. Identical to father's and my own...

"Theke?" I ask weakly. My mouth is dry.

"You were moaning and thrashing about in your sleep." He tells me. "Nightmare?"

I just nod. Father's death always ends up being relived in my sleep when I have a stressful or scary day.

"Are you alright?" I nod. "You're crying."

I give a small start, I hadn't noticed the tears coming out of my eyes. "Oh, um, I just..." But Thekallcius knows me better than that. He extends an arm and I curl towards him, just like the old days when we hid in the hollow of that tree, it would be dark and I'd be scared of it. But Thekallcius would comfort me until our mother or father arrived, though they never came together. Too risky.

"What did you dream?" He asks as we sit on the rickety bed that the villagers sleep on when there's a big attack or storm. It's the only place with spare beds, I suppose, or none of the villagers are willing to take us in, I guess. I wouldn't blame them.

"Oh, nothing really." I say, because to this day Thekallcius hasn't been told about the circumstances of our father's death, no one has. And it's going to stay that way.

"Come on, you can tell me." He says with a smile, but I'm not in the mood.

"No Theke, it's nothing to worry about." I sigh, shrugging off his touch. He looks confused, but doesn't push it. I would.

Just as I'm about to ask what he's doing up, we hear a muffled creak as the door slides open. At once, we're on full alert, I instantly create a blade out of nothing and Thekallcius raises his hands. That's enough.

"Who goes there?" Thekallcius asks sharply. There's silence, and then a bit of scuffling, then the figure comes forward into the light. We both relax.

"Thsaa!" Thekallcius exclaims. The young boy is now wearing a long, white nightgown and he shuffles towards us, looking determined.

"Theke!" He says urgently. "I heard my mummy and some others talking, they're all coming here, I climbed out the window to arrive." He seems proud of himself, but my mind is suddenly sick with worry.

"Coming here?" I ask anxiously. "You don't mean..." He nods.

"They want to kill you!"

For a moment, we're both frozen in shock. I can't believe this, we saved them from the dragons. They have no reason to distrust us! Certainly not to kill us!

"Come on." Thekallcius says. "We've got to get out of here." He turns to Thsaa. "Thanks for the warning, but you've got to run home before they find out you helped us!" Thsaa looks at the ground, then runs to hug Thekallcius's legs.

"Please be safe." He whispers, then after a short hesitation, he does the same to me. I'm shocked, I've never been so close to someone I'm not related to before, never thought I would be. I've given Thsaa absolutely no reason to trust me, but now he's holding onto me like I'm his older brother.

I'd like to be an older brother.

"Come on." Thekallcius puts a hand on my arm lightly, and brings out the crystal. "Let's get out of here, while we still have a-" But his words are cut off as we hear sudden whispers from outside. The townspeople.

"Oh no." Thsaa gasps, holding onto my leg again.

"We're already too late." I say.

For a moment, we stand in shock, before I pick up my sword from the bed again. Thekallcius nods.

"Stand back Thsaa." He says, as the door bursts open.

"There they are!" A man cries, though they're obviously surprised to find us awake and ready. They charge forwards, and I ready the blade. I'm not a very good fighter, but I can fight for my life if I want to. Fortunately the villagers aren't very good either.

"Why?" I cry, as I shove a man away from me, and back into a corner, blade out in front of me. "We didn't do anything to you, we HELPED you!"

"You are half dragon and speak highly of your father!" A woman snaps. "That's enough. Dragons are our enemies. They killed our families!" She lunges, but I swing the blade towards her in fear and she steps back hastily.

"EVERYONE STOP!" I hear, and I see my brother stood on my bed, looking completely... there's no other word for it really, livid. It's giving him an evil appearance, and I don't like it. But what I like less is what he's doing. He's got Thsaa. And he's got a hand to his neck.

"THEKE!" I cry out. "What are you doing?!" He doesn't reply.

"LEAVE US OR I SWEAR, I'LL CHOKE HIM!" Thekallcius yells, I don't believe it, my calm, kind, peaceful, laughing brother, is threatening to hurt a CHILD!

"No!" The woman who spoke to me screams. "Thsaa!" I realise she must be Thsaa's mother. She makes to run towards him, but a man grabs her and holds her back.

"Theke, what are you doing?!" I cry in fear as my brother grips Thsaa. The poor kid looks terrified and really, really confused. He thought Thekallcius was his friend. I thought so too.

"We've got to make them leave!" Thekallcius turns to me and I gasp. His eyes, they're dark, purple even. I take a step back, I'm scared. Scared of my own brother. I take a deep breath. Thsaa needs me.

"Theke, let Thsaa go. He's got no part in this." I look him in the eye with my own dark green eyes until the purple fades out of his and they match mine again. He gasps and releases Thsaa, who runs to his mother.

"The crystal, quick!" I shout, but Thekallcius is leaning against the wall, breathing fast. It's down to me. I take a deep breath and jump up, over the people with a sudden power I didn't know I had, onto the bed next to Thekallcius. I grab the crystal from his hand and hold it up to the light. Just like last time, the portal appears.

"They're escaping!" A man cries, and the mob surges forwards. I grab Thekallcius and step back.

"I'm sorry Thsaa!" I shout over the howling wind. "Live your life!"

"Wait!" The little boy cries, and he struggles forwards. He reaches into a shelf on the wall and throws me a sealed bag. "Use it!" He shouts. "For yourselves!" He gives me a small smile, which I return.

"Thsaa!" His mother exclaims in shocked anger. "You didn't-" Thsaa isn't listening, he waves as I grab Thekallcius's arm and jump into the portal. We're whirred away into the oblivion once more...


	6. The Elements of Creation

_Mauricious!_

 _You! You're back! Future me!_

 _Yes, and I couldn't warn you last time. I apologise, but there isn't a lot of time when you travel realms. Your body is between two worlds._

 _OK. You were saying something about trust..._

 _Oh, ignore that. Listen, you must remember what happened, let it prepare you. Something bad will - THERE ARE FIFTEEN REALMS! WHAT-_

 _He fades out of my hearing._

 _Err, what?_

 _Sorry about that. Something bad will happen and it will break you. But let yourself be mended. It mustn't break you beyond repair._

 _Oh, erm, OK._

 _Good. Now-_

But he's gone

"Mauricious! Mauricious, wake up!"

I give a small groan and open my eyes. Thekallcius's worried face swims in front of me and I blink to get it in focus. "Theke?"

He gaps in relief and helps me sit up. "Urgh, where are we now?" I ask him. He shrugs and I look around. It's a new realm, I think, though it looks rather similar to the last one.

Maybe it'll be the same. Maybe, no matter where we go, we'll be the freaks, the outcasts, feared and alone. Neither good nor evil. We'll never fit in.

I draw up my knees to my chest. Thekallcius looks at me curiously. "What's wrong. This seems an alright place."

"We're freaks." I mutter bitterly. "They turned us out, even though we're like them! We'll never fit in, anywhere! No one accepts us!"

"Hey, calm down." Thekallcius kneels beside me, his hand on my shoulders. "As long as we have each other, we'll be alright. We don't need anyone else!" I look into his eyes. They're no longer purple, but there's a desperate look in them, wild even. I shudder.

Then I get an idea.

"Let's not stay here." I tell him. He frowns, and I look up, a sudden light in my heart at last.

"Where do we go?" Thekallcius asks. "Another realm?"

"Well, sort of." I tell him with a smile. "We'll never belong in other places, right? So let's make our own! A mix of good and evil, just like us!"

"Mauricious, I don't know." Thekallcius tells me, frowning. "You've created things before, but not on that scale!"

"Thekallcius, we need to do this!" I stand up so we're face to face. "We can't find a place to belong, because we're of two worlds, right? But there are fifteen realms, so shouldn't there be another, to balance it out!"

"Mauri, you're not, wait, how did you know that there are fifteen-" But I'm not really listening, I'm too excited about this.

"We need to create a realm of our own, like the dragons and Oni used to do. I bet we can do it, I create, you add destruction into the mix, we can do this!"

He looks at me like I've sprouted an extra head.

"Mauricious, well..." He blows up towards his fringe. "I don't really know what to say."

"Oh, come ON!" I grab his arm. "You've known me my whole life, this could be a brand new start for the pair of us! Because I trust you more than anyone else." Her gasps.

"Really?" I nod and he smiles. "I trust you exactly the same. Come on. Let's do it!" It's my turn to gasp.

"Really?"

"Of course! Let's create our own world. Just the two of us!" I smile and grip his hand. My brother. My destiny. My life.

Everything.

"What was in the bag Thsaa gave you?" He asks, looking over at the package, discarded on the ground.

"I don't know." I go and pick it up. It's light, and no logos or anything. Just a perfectly ordinary cloth bag.

"Well, open it!" Thekallcius urges me, coming to my side. I hesitate, then shake my head. I open the bag.

"What's in it?" He asks.

"Erm, a note." I pick it up, and find, even though no one taught me, I can read it. "Greetings, future generation. If you are reading this, our community has been destroyed by the dragons-" We share a grin. "In this bag we give you the last gift from the creators. Here are... the elements of creation! Create a new world and the rest of the elements will follow!" I look up at Thekallcius. We're both frowning.

"So, anything else?" He asks. I look in the bag and gasp.

"What?" He looks too. I rummage in the bag and bring out.

An orb of brilliant white light.

"What is it?" Thekallcius gasps. I examine it. It's light, and barely feels like it's there, but I somehow know it is, I can tell. It's got a sort of... magical presence.

"It's our answer!" I smile down at it. "An element of creation. There's three more in there, all different colours. They'll help us create our own realm!"

"OK." Thekallcius says, nodding. His face says he thinks I'm crazy, but I don't care, that's what brothers are for, right?

 **This was kind of boring, so I kept it short :)**


	7. Our World: Ninjago

It's happening. I searched the realms until I found a vortex, empty of a realm. This proves that it's meant to be. That this realm is meant to be created. It's our destiny.

"This is weird..." I hear Thekallcius's voice, floating, trailing off. It is weird, it's somehow all black, like the night sky, and there's absolutely nothing here but us.

"Come on..." I call to my brother, and he summons a trail of destruction magic to propel himself over towards me.

"Are we ready...?" He asks. I nod and take his hands. Since I'm the one in-tune with the element of Creation, it's mostly down to me. Thekallcius just keeps the balance. Between us float the elements of Creation, Fire, Lightning, Earth and Ice. I figured out, if you tap them, flames, stones, bolts of lightning or icicles. We had a little fun with them back in the other realm. This weird creature with the body of a man, head of a lion and a long cloak came and challenged us, but we managed to get away. We're here now. Where we need to be. Where we'll live the rest of our lives.

I take a deep breath, even though there's no oxygen. I'm ready.

The orbs of light spin as golden light pours from my hands and surrounds them. A little black light pours from Thekallcius's, but mostly it's me. The orbs spin, faster and faster, and the golden light fuses with them until...

"Whoa...!" Thekallcius gasps, and I look.

It's been transformed into one, big orb, a mixture of golden, white, red, blue and black light.

"It, it's beautiful...!" I exclaim.

"Yeah..." Thekallcius agrees. For a moment, we stay transfixed at the sight.

"What do we do with it...?" I ask him.

"Touch it..." He tells me. I take a deep breath and reach out towards it, my finger glowing with my power. Just one touch, then all of our dreams will come true. We'll be together. Forever.

I touch the orb.

For a moment, everything freezes. Then the orb starts to spin faster and faster, until it suddenly explodes in a mass of golden light.

"What's happening...!" Thekallcius gasps.

"I, I don't know..!" I shout back, until the light gets so bright, everything disappears...

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"Thekallcius!" Somehow, our roles are reversed. Slowly, his eyes open and focus on me.

"Mauri?"

"Yes." I help him sit up and we take in our surroundings.

"WHOA!" He gasps.

It's beautiful. Lush green trees, blue sky, mountains in the distance with rivers curling around them. The thin clouds swirl in the sky. It's a sort of mix of the realm we were born in and Thsaa's realm. It's amazing.

"It's amazing." Thekallcius gasps.

"It's beautiful." I agree.

"And you made it." He whispers, and I see tears in his eyes.

"Well, we-"

"No, Mauricious, YOU did this!" He turns to me and grabs my arm excitedly. "You created ALL THIS, a home for us to live in, YOU DID IT!" He grabs me and hugs me tightly. I wrap my arms around him back, just feel him, my brother, the person I love more than anyone else in the world.

This is our world.

"So, what are we going to call this place?" I ask him after at least ten minutes of hugging and being completely overwhelmed by our achievement.

"I don't know, name it after something?" He wonders, and we sit down on the grass. The grass we CREATED!

"Or someone? Any ideas?" He shrugs, and strokes the grass. It's soft, I could sit here forever.

"How about the people who made this all possible." I suggest.

"Thsaa?"

"No, our parents." He frowns.

"The dragon Enjago and the Oni Ingo? Bit long."

"We'll combine their names." I tell him. "Like... I got it! Eningo!"

"Maybe not." He says. "No, I've got it!" He looks at me with a wild grin. "Ninjago!"

"I like that." I nod at him. "Hey, world that we just magically whipped up out of nothing. We hereby name you..."

We both grin at each other, and say it together.

"Ninjago."

 **Yeah, I know it's even shorter than the last one, but there's no better way to end this chapter. DON'T WORRY. There's still lots more of Part One to come! :)**


	8. Trust, the first human

**Reviews lately have been dropping to nothing, so if you've got anything you want to see further down the line (aside from the final battle and obvious things like that) let me know :)**

 **Mauricious and Thekallcius are young men now.**

Another animal passes by. I hadn't noticed them at first, but now, after six years living here, they're everywhere. We sometimes hunt them for food, I'm currently drawing up a chart of which species is which. We're giving them all names too. Cows, squirrels, birds. No dragons and no Oni. No other humans. Just Mauricious, Thekallcius and food.

"Mauri?" I hear him call me from the other side of the monastery that we built to house ourselves, on the edge of a lovely forest.

"Yes?" I stand up and come over to him. He's a lot taller than he used to be, me as well though, and he's gained a bit of a moustache. I'm getting a bears, but it's slow progress.

"What did you do with the Elemental Weapons? He asks. Since we created Ninjago, we found the elements of Creation again and decided to create four weapons to tie them to. They're very powerful, but just sit in a room gathering dust. We have nothing to use them for.

"I was dusting them down, they're over there." I point to the corner of the compound and he goes and scoops them up. He can hold all the weapons at once, but I never can.

"Thanks." He turns to take them back to their room.

"Erm, Thekallcius?" I take a deep breath. He's your brother, Mauri. There's nothing to be afraid of.

"Yes?" He turns.

"I was thinking..." Another deep breath. "Maybe, we should think about populating our realm." He frowns at me, putting the weapons down and coming over.

"What do you mean? There's plenty of life in Ninjago."

"No, I mean, people." I tell him. "Like us, only, less powerful. Like those in Thsaa's realm."

"You mean the people who tried to kill us and called us freaks?" He says with disgust in his voice. I shake my head.

"No, kind people. We'll create them, I suppose, like we did Ninjago."

"You mean, you did."

"Whatever, we'll educate them to be kind, and anyway, we could be gods to them!" I see him smile at the mention of this.

"Are you sure?" He asks me. "Ninjago was meant to be our home, just for us."

"I has been." I tell him. "But someday, we'll be gone, and then what? Ninjago is a paradise, it's for everyone. Others deserve to experience it."

He gives a shrug.

"I suppose so." Then he smiles, that old smile from my brother that I love. "So, where do we start?"

 _IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

We stand in a small clearing in the forest by our monastery, a place where I think it right to raise the first generation of humans in Ninjago. It's a beautiful place.

"Future generations of Ninjago." I announce. "I, Mauricious of Dragon and Oni, the creator, shall bring you to life."

Thekallcius stands opposite me. "Future generations of Ninjago. I, Thekallcius of the Oni and Dragon, the destroyer, shall create the balance of life, and ensure your normality and lack of our power."

For a moment, we look at each other. Then we begin.

It's like how we created Ninjago, only not relying on the elements of Creation. It's creating something out of nothing, something that can think for itself. It's a lot of work.

After what seems like hours with no progress, something stirs on the ground. Thekallcius gives a little gasp as dirt rises from the floor and spins upwards. It slowly spirals until it's a great column of dust and magic. I concentrate harder and harder, life, humans, kindness.

The dust fades, leaving a figure in it's place. My mouth falls open. It's a person. Even though I trust my brother and my powers, I never expected it to work!

"Whoa!" Thekallcius exclaims. The person opens their eyes and looks at us. It's a man, about eighteen years old, or looks it, he's not even a minute old, his eyes are amber and his hair is jet black. Surprisingly, he's wearing clothes.

"Err, hello." I say, and he looks at me, also very confused. "I'm Mauricious, and this is my brother, Thekallcius." I gesture briefly and Thekallcius gives a nod of hello. The man nods back, then looks at me again.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"I, erm, I don't think I know, really." The man mutters. "I don't remember anything."

"That's because we just created you." Thekallcius tells him, and his face cracks into a smile. "Mauri, we DID IT! We created life!"

"Mauri?" The person asks.

"It's a nickname." I explain to him. Then I turn to my brother. "What are we going to call him then?"

"I don't know." He tells me, as the human looks up at us. I think about how far we've come, how this person is a major accomplishment, a symbol of how far we've come with a our trust and love for each other.

Trust...

"Trust." I say, and he loos at me curiously. "It's because of our trust for each other this person even exists."

"Trust?"

"Trust." We smile down at him.

"Welcome to Ninjago, Trust, the first human." He smiles.

"Nice name. I like it." He stands up, he's about our height too. Trust.

"Well, I suppose we need to make more humans." I tell my brother.

"Say what?"

"Err, you know, procreation?" I gesture at Trust, who's gazing at the sky, grinning. "He can't, you know..."

"OK, no more information needed!" He exclaims. "But we're not creating more now, I'm exhausted." I nod in agreement and we flop onto the grass, leaving Trust to glance down at us oddly.

"OK, I need to learn more about humanity. Is that small animal meant to be sat on?"

Thekallcius jumps up with a yell as the platypus bites him.

 **Happy Easter! :)**


	9. The Oni in the Cave

**Finally, a bit of action will kick off!**

Humanity has evolved unbelievably, and I have noticed something too. It's been at least twenty years, but neither me, nor Thekallcius, nor Trust have aged at all from when humanity was brought to Ninjago. Other humans have, of course, but we are still the same age, or at least, look the same.

But for some reason, Thekallcius seems to be drawing away from me. I only just noticed it recently, but it's there and I can't figure out why. It's something that annoys me greatly, and makes me sit up on the monastery roof longer than usual, staring at the sun. The sun we created together. Our world. Only something tells me it won't be for much longer. My past self's warning still haunts me, from when I was a young boy. I have yet to figure out what it means.

"Mauricious!" I jump and almost fall off the roof. I look down to see the face of Trust, standing below me.

"Erm, yes?" I try to think of a reasonable explanation as to why I'm on the monastery roof.

"Thekallcius called me here to fix the rafters of the weapon room." Trust calls up. I frown, I haven't heard anything about broken rafters, but Thekallcius spends way more time in there than me, he'd know I suppose. And Trust is very good with his hands, fixing and inventing and the like.

"Alright." I slide down the rooftop and land on the ground beside him; no longer the confused mess he used to be. Just like me.

"Oh, and also, I got told to inform you of a strange creature, stalking villages towards the west." He tells me. I frown.

"What kind of creature?"

"I don't know, just reporting what others saw." He tucks his hands behind his back. "Anyhow, rafters to fix." He heads inside. I look out towards the west, where dark clouds are forming, familiar dark clouds, but my lousy memory forbids to tell me where from. Thekallcius is inside somewhere, but I'm unwilling to fetch him. I clench my hand and form a sword. These are my people, this is my beef. Whatever creature this is, it's about to get a face full of Power.

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I step forwards into the cave. It's a big place, shrouded by a waterfall deep in the jungle. This creature, whatever it is, has been a nightmare to track, but finally, it's not going to hurt anyone else. Gripping my sword tightly, I step into the cave's mouth.

It's dark, but I conjure fire in my fist. I hold the flame to the walls and my mouth drops open. The walls are covered in pictures, pictures of things that I know very, very well. No. It can't be.

"Oni." I murmur. They can't be here, not here, not now. Not when we've made our world. I feel the pointed Oni pendant my mother gave me when I turned six, hanging from my belt.

"Hello?" I call out, in the ancient tongue of the Oni. Then fiercer. "Show yourself!"

"You speak our tongue." Comes a chilling female voice, one that I somehow know. The figure steps forward and I see who it is. My sword clatters to the ground.

"Mother!" I gasp. The Oni freezes, and tilts her head to one side. Then she gasps too.

"Mauricious!" If she had eyes, they'd widen.

"What are you doing here?" I ask sharply. "Terrorising my villages, hurting my people. Why?"

"I was scared." She tells me. "So many people, no dragons, no Oni, but they all look like you and your brother. I was so confused and everything, what is this place?"

"Ninjago." I tell her. "We created it to be our place, no dragons, no Oni." I back away slowly. "Leave, mother. Go back to your realm."

"You can come with us too." She argues, stepping forward. "Come back home, Thekallcius too. You don't have to stay here."

"We want to!" I snap at her, scooping up my sword again. "We made this place for ourselves, to keep people like you, OUT! People who want to hurt us, or make us fight, or..." I'm running out of breath now, backing away, tears pricking my eyes like I'm a scared child again.

"Yes, I went to another realm before coming here." Mother says, and I grip my sword like I'm not afraid to use it. But I am. "They were scared of me, but I would stop at nothing to find my sons." She grins evilly, and I find it hard to believe that this is the same creature whom protected me and I looked up to.

Just like Thekallcius.

"What did you do?" I ask her. She doesn't answer.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!" I demand, waving the sword, though I can't believe it's come to this with my family.

"I punished them." She says very quietly. "They took away your chance of happiness, so I took something from them."

"What!" I demand, tightening my grip on my sword. "WHAT DID YOU TAKE?!"

"Their best warrior." She snarls. "Unlikely they'll fight the dragons without him."

As if waiting for his cue, I hear a shout from behind her.

"HEY, I need water to live! Unless you want to eat me right here and now... TELL ME, PLEASE! ARE YOU EATING ME OR KEEPING ME!"

"That's him." I mutter, and dart forwards. She blocks my path.

"Let me past." I say in an iron clad voice. She shakes her head.

"Come home Mauricious." She tells me.

"This is my home now." I say, and she attacks. It's a lightning fast movement, but I'm ready. Since I'm part Oni, I know their best battle moves, and since I'm part dragon, I know how to combat them.

She slashes at me with her claws, but I jump back and swipe with my sword. She laughs and says something about artificial claws, but I can't listen. My blood is rushing in my ears, and my adrenaline is roaring at a dangerous level. She manages to get past me, and trips me up so I land flat on my back, my sword tumbling out of my reach. I curse inside my head, why hadn't I taken Thekallcius with me? But then, our mother would have been dead the moment she mentioned the realms before us. I could have taken Trust, but I don't think he's ever fought before. No, I'm alone, and that is my fault.

"You wouldn't kill me." I tell her. "I'm your son."

"I have two sons." She snarls. "Oni must win the war against the dragons, I should have never betrayed my leader."

"What did she DO to you?" I ask. I see her hesitate, then come in for the attack. The kind mother, who nurtured me, raised me, loved me, gave me gifts...

Gifts.

Quick as a wink, I grasp my Oni pendant, rip it from my belt and shove it upwards, into my mother's ribs.

She screams and rears back, and I wriggle away from her, grabbing my fallen sword, but I don't need it. My mother is thin, and that blade will have pierced her heart.

"Mother?" I ask, and come over, I'm scared, but this is the Oni who raised me...

The Oni who I have killed.

"Mother!"

She laughs a little. "How can you still call me that?"

"I'll always be your son." I tell her soothingly. "The son who betrayed you-" My words stop because my throat is suddenly choked up.

"Mauricious." She whispers, and gestures towards cave entrance, through which the prisoner is still shouting. "Through there, there are three masks, I had to bring them, to hide them. The dragons wanted them. They can summon an evil spirit from the dead if combined. Hide them, from evil, from..." The last word is said so quietly I can't even catch it.

"Mother?" She shakes her head.

"I betrayed you, son. But I must tell you... you and your brother have a great destiny to fulfil. Danger is coming, son. You can't run or hide... from what knows you inside and out. You must fight... to protect..."

"Protect? Protect what?" But she's gone. I bite my lip and sit back, wiping my eyes. Now I'm an orphan. Now I'm truly alone.

No, I'm not, I tell myself. I have Thekallcius, he'll be mad to hear about all this for sure.

"HELLO!" I hear the prisoner shout. "WHAT'S GOING ON!"

"I'll come free you. The Oni's... gone." I shout, and pick up my sword again, going into the cavern. For some reason, I expected it to be filled with treasure, but no, it's just another big, empty room with nothing in it.

Well, almost nothing. There's a man, a little older than I appear to be, hanging from the ceiling. He frowns down at me.

"Who are you?"

"My name's Mauricious, you may have heard of me." I tell him, and his mouth drops open.

"Blimey, Mauricious? You've sure changed?"

"Yes." I mutter. "A bit. I met a lot of people back in your realm, which one are you. A casual observer, or someone who tried to kill me?"

"Neither." He says with a smile. "Don't you remember? It's me, Thsaa."

It's my turn for my mouth to drop open.

"Thsaa?" I gasp. "Wow, you're so... old!" He laughs.

"Look who's talking!" He laughs. "Though I expected you to be older. But before we get into the happy reunions and all that, would you mind letting me down?"

"Oh, sorry." I jump up an slice the rope holding him so he falls to the ground.

"Ouch." He mutters. Then smiles. "I just can't believe it, Mauri, it's so good to see you again."

"Theke will love to see you again too!" I tell him, and his whole face lights up.

"This is great, but after, I need to get home. Back to my realm. My people need me."

"Yeah, fancy the little kid who told us to dress better being the greatest warrior of the village." I smile. "And I suppose you'll want to get back to your mother, your family." Thsaa nods.

"Yes, that's a bit of a bigger family now. My wife and children." Now it's my turn to be in shock again.

"Whoa, you have children?" He nods. "My boy and girl. They'll think I'm dead now, but I'm going to go back to them!" He smiles widely. "My daughter, Mauriette is seven, and Theke is five." This makes me smile so wide, even though I just killed my own mother.

"Well, let's go back to the monastery to meet Thekallcius." We turn to leave, but then I remember the masks. I look around and eventually find them, in a careless pile on a stone alter of sorts. I pick them up, but on second thoughts, I leave the purple one where it is. I then close my eyes to concentrate, and purple flame sprouts up around the mask.

"What..." Thsaa begins, but I shake my head.

"I'll tell you later." I say, and we leave the cave together, the orange and red masks in my arms. I stop outside the cave too, and raise my free hand. Wood sprouts up and a carefully decorated temple entrance surrounds the mouth of the cave. I also set powerful traps to guard it, so that no one will ever touch it, except someone I trust, with the same blood as me.

"Come on, let's go." I tell Thsaa, and we leave the spot together.

 **If you think that was exciting and tense, just you wait for the next chapter!**


	10. I don't Know

I take Thsaa back to the monastery, still hardly believing the man walking by my side was the sweet little child who had evaded his parent to warn us. Even harder to believe that the masks in my arms were all I had left of my dead mother, and that my Oni pendant was covered with her blood.

"So, let me get this straight." Thsaa says as we approach the monastery through the thick forest just in front of it. "You and your brother created this place? Just using those little elements?"

"They're elemental weapons now." I tell him. "But yes, all thanks to you, I suppose." Thsaa grins wide, making him look like the child he once was. Hard to believe he's the father of two children that he named after us.

"I always assumed the elements were useless." Thsaa tells me. "I was never allowed to touch them, I'd never seen them. But to think I helped to create this place, what did you call it again?"

"Ninjago." I say quietly. "After our father and mother, both of whom are now dead." I look at the ground, determined not to cry in front of Thsaa. But it helps that we've just reached the monastery and Thsaa is now gazing up at it in awe.

"Wow, you BUILT this!" He exclaims in wonder. I look at our familiar old monastery. It doesn't really seem like a spectacular creation, but Thsaa is looking at it like it's out of this world.

Well, it is out of his world.

"Let's go in." I say to him, smiling. "I'm sure Thekallcius would-" But my words are cut off by the most horrible sound in the world. A scream. A really deep, horrible, filled with pain, scream.

"What was that!" Thsaa exclaims, gripping the knife in his belt. I create another sword out of nowhere.

"I don't know, come on!" We run forwards towards the sound.

In the weapons room, the roof has entirely fallen in and Trust is trapped under it, screaming as the heavy wood crushes his frail body.

"Trust!" I shout, and try to think of something I can create that will help him. Thsaa, however, runs forward and begins to try shift the rafters. I quickly run to help him and together, we manage to free my friend.

"Trust, what happened?" I gasp as he shuffles away from the hole in the ceiling as fast as he can.

"He did!" Trust shouts, pointing up at the hole. I raise my head to look and my mouth drops open.

Thekallcius stands on top of the roof, scowling down at us all, but that's not what I find the most surprising. It's the fact that his eyes, once again and for the first time in twenty years, are glowing purple.

"Thekallcius!" I scream at him. "What are you doing!"

"Shut up!" Thekallcius shouts, his voice with a low, sinister ring to it. He jumps down and lands on top of the debris.

"You did this?" I exclaim. "To Trust?" I'm not even angry. I'm just hurting all over.

"Why did you bring humans into this world, Mauricious!" Thekallcius shouts, not Mauri, Mauricious.

"We did it together, for a new race!" I tell him what he already knows. "We did it together-"

"No, you did it!" He shouts, grabbing a long knife from his own belt. "You brought them here, I only brought darkness! Everywhere I go I can only bring darkness, because all I can do is destroy!"

"Theke, no." I shout at him. "You don't-"

"SHUT UP!" He screams at me, whipping the knife towards my throat. I take a step back. "SHUT UP MAURICIOUS! YOU DON'T GET TO CALL ME THAT!"

"OK, OK." I say soothingly. "Just put down the knife, Thekallcius, and we can-"

"No." He snarls. "The knife never be put down, because I am the destroyer! I've done my research, there can only be good and evil in this world, Mauricious. Not both, not a mix. There is the good, in you, you modelled this realm, made it so... perfect!" He says this through gritted teeth. "And I couldn't put in what I wanted in my mind. So my only hope is to DESTROY it that way!"

"Thekallcius, what..." I'm lost for words. "No, you don't, Thekallcius. Ninjago belongs to both of us-"

"NO!" Thekallcius howls at me, and I take another big step back, away from my brother, the person who I love and Trust more than anyone else, waving knife around, pointing it at my throat. I can feel a lump in that throat, clogging it up. I can barely see because I'm blinking my eyes so much.

"Ninjago can never belong to both of us." Thekallcius snapped, taking a breath, calming down. But his eyes remained purple. "No, it is a world of good and evil, but they can never co-exist! No, good and evil are enemies, they have to be! Just like us Mauricious. I know we've been brothers for forever, but not any more. This fight has to happen, we have to fight for Ninjago..." He stops and frowns at Thsaa all of a sudden as if he hadn't noticed him before.

"Who's this and why is he here!" He demands, his knife moving to Thsaa.

"It's Thsaa, remember, from that other realm!" I hope Thsaa's name will spur a memory in my brother, happiness, a little boy. But no, Thekallcius's darkened expression slides into ugly.

"Ah yes." He mutters darkly. "I remember. The people who HATED us, Mauricious! Who tried to kill us, do you not remember?"

"No, do YOU not remember!" Thsaa scowls and whips his knife out of his belt and holds it up against Thekallcius's throat. Everyone freezes, even me. I absent-mindedly help Trust to his feet, even though he can't stand up.

"What's going on?" He mutters sleepily, there's a large bruise on his forehead.

"Don't go to sleep." I warn him. I'm not a very good medic, and we need to get out of here. But Thekallcius and Thsaa are still on the verge of a battle and I'm still not sure what's going on with my brother.

"I helped you get away, idiot!" Thsaa snarls at him, his knife still pressed to his throat. "I helped you to create Ninjago and for my crimes I got exile for ten years. And this is my reward!"

For a moment, Thekallcius looks scared. Then he laughs.

"You never used to be this feisty." He mutters, then swipes with his knife, pushing Thsaa's away. Before I know it, they're engaging in some sort of knife battle. I can see how good Thsaa is now, but Thekallcius is fighting like a madman with every ounce of passion and hatred behind his swings. I can't bear to watch them kill each other.

But how is the power of creation supposed to help anyone?

Unless.

Gently placing the barely conscious Trust on the floor, I level my hands and eye the floor, the stone floor that me and Thekallcius laid together. But if I can change the way that floor was laid, maybe change it, create something that wasn't there before...

It works. I see cracks appear in a square shape, and a lever appearing at my left. I just have to wait until the right moment...

Now. I yank the lever, hoping desperately that it will work. It does and the floor disappears under my brother's feet. He gasps and falls through, five meters down or so. Thsaa stumbles backwards, almost dropping his knife.

"Come on!" I shout at him. "Help me!" Thsaa is still confused, I can tell, but he slides an arm under Trust's shoulder and helps me carry him out.

"Where are we taking him?" Thsaa asks.

"A doctor in the village." I tell him, as we drag Trust out the room. I can't tell if he's conscious or not. "Trust? Trust, stay awake, you hear me?" He gives a low moan but that's all I get as a response.

"What WAS that?" Thsaa asks as we limp out of the monastery.

"I don't know."

"How long had Thekallcius been like this." I try to think back to when his curious behaviour started.

"I don't know."

"What happens now?" I look into his earnest eyes and see the same scared child who discovered us by the waterfall all those years ago. Back when things were alright.

"I don't know."


	11. Poor Little Us

It had been a long and tiring trek to the doctor in the village, and a long and tiring trek back, but at least we didn't have to carry Trust. I had to use my powers to mend his shattered bones, but he was lucky, and survived. As we step into the monastery once more, I'm afraid of what we'll find. But there's nothing, the hole we put Thekallcius in is empty. At least the elemental weapons are still in their places.

I don't bother with any more checks. I don't even bother to fix the rafters. I let Thsaa look around and Trust recover. I just go straight to the bedroom that I've shared with Thekallcius for over twenty years. Our beds are neatly made, side by side. Spare clothes in boxes by the door. A few books on a shelf between them. I sit down with a sigh on Thekallcius's bed, and feel something under the covers.

I pull back the covers to see a small notepad hidden there. Thekallcius's, I'm guessing. This could provide a clue to his insanity! I grab the notebook and open it at random. It's filled with my brother's handwriting, but what he's saying gives me no hope.

 _The good and the evil, ying and yang, co-exist, but are never friends - Dr Shulder: Good & Evil: A history. A good book, but seals my fate. Me and my brother can never get on. We co-exist, because we are the good and the evil. We have to co-exist, we'll never truly leave this life, cannot die without the other. As long as there is light, there will always be shadow. One pure good, always seeing light in the world. I estimate this is truth for Mauricious. But me? I am the evil, the worst parts of Dragon and Oni combined, I can never be as good as Mauricious. I envy him with all my 'evil heart and soul'. I don't know why I still love him. It will fade, it must. It has to be this way. It has to..._

 _Why?_

I drop the back, my hands shaking like mad. Why? Thekallcius was absolutely right, why must things go this way? We've always been brothers who need each other, love each other. Why not anymore? What does some stupid book written by some stupid human prove anything?

It was my idea to bring humans here in the first place. I'm the one to blame.

I quickly try to wipe my eyes, but I can't, there are too many tears. I put my hands over my face in attempt to hide from the world. Why couldn't our parents just never have met each other? Then I wouldn't feel this pain.

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It's been three days and no sign of Thekallcius. Or anything. Me, Trust and Thsaa have holed up in the monastery, trying to make plans and failing every time. Trust fixes and builds things, and keeps muttering something about wanting tech, or something like that. Thsaa (quite the artist actually) sketches Ninjago from a distance, to show his children when he returns to them. He drew his children too, and his wife. The girl looks almost exactly like him, they both have the same long hair and brave expression. Mauriette. I hope she never experiances the sorry life of her namesake. As for Theke, well, I have no idea what his namesake is experiencing right now, but it can't be good. Poor little children. Poor little us.

"Mauricious." I know who it is by the name. I'm always Mauri to Thsaa.

"Yes Trust?" He shifts from one foot to another.

"You need to see this." He says eventually. His tone is not something to be argued with.

I follow Trust to the courtyard of the monastery. There's something there, but it's not Thekallcius. It appears to be a large crab, about a meter high, scuttling around. Thsaa sits on the steps, a sword in his hand, but the crab doesn't attempt to attack him, though the size of it's claws could easily cut him in half.

"What is it?" I ask the pair of them, and they shrug. I stare at the crab as it attempts to climb a wall, but falls down onto it's back. It's legs wave in the air. It's a pathetic sight.

"Poor thing." Trust mutters, and goes over to it. Thsaa is on his feet in a flash and puts an arm out to stop him.

"Careful!" He snaps. "It's dangerous."

"It won't hurt me if I help it." Trust snaps back, edging around Thsaa and going over to the crab. Thsaa rolls his eyes. This surprises me. I had no idea the two disliked each other.

Trust manages to flip the crab over, and I see Thsaa tense as it scuttles over to him. But it's only to rub against his leg. I smile, so does Trust.

"I think you've made a friend." I tell him. Trust smiles and rubs the crab's shell affectionately.

"I think so too." The crab scuttles around his legs. "I think it's a baby."

"Wait, that thing has growing to do?!" Thsaa exclaims. Trust nods.

"I think I'll call him Borg."

"Whatever." Thsaa mutters. "But what's it doing here?"

"Trust, what's that on it's leg?" I notice a white patch. Trust kneels down and pulls a piece of paper off the crab. It scuttles around a bit as he straightens up.

"It's a letter." He says. "For Mauricious." He throws it to me and I catch it and open it. Both men crowd round to see.

 _Brother. I know you read it. I hope you understand._

And then, in a wilder and crazier handwriting:

 _I Am Coming_

"I am coming." Trust reads. "Coming where?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Thsaa mutters. "Coming here. To kill us."

Trust stamps on his foot, but I don't really care. I just keep the paper in my clenched hand. Thekallcius sent the crab, with the message. He's coming. To kill us, presumably. Some kind of final battle? I honestly don't care. I tear the note into a hundred little pieces.

"He may be coming." I mutter to myself. "But we'll be ready. And if he wants to hurt them, I'll kill him."

 **I'm considering doing some cover art for this, so don't be confused when it comes out.**


	12. A Fight to the Death

Dusk is when it happens. We're lying in wait, figuratively and literally; we're lying low on the rooftops, keeping one eye on the surrounding wilderness, and one eye on the crab. It's settled down now, scuttling peacefully around the courtyard. It's also the signal. If someone sees Thekallcius coming, they throw a stone at the crab, making it react. Then we carry out phase two.

I stare at the forest, deep into the darkness. There's a village on the other side, a village that knows nothing of this. Lucky them.

I head the rock before I see the crab move. It clunks with the creature's shell, making it click it's claws and scuttle away from the rooftop where Thsaa lays. I see that Trust has noticed it too, and we roll along the roof tiles until we reach Thsaa.

"There he is." Thsaa mutters, pointing with his eyes. I squint into the darkness, then I see him. A solitary figure, dressed all in black, coming up towards us.

"Ready?" Trust mutters.

"Ready." Me and Thsaa confirm.

Thekallcius stops about five meters from the monastery doors and looks up. He can see us, I know he can.

"Mauricious." He calls up to me. "You read it, I left it for you. Now do you understand?"

"Partially." I call back. "I know what you think, but it doesn't have to be the truth. It's never too late to set things right."

"This is right!" Thekallcius shouts angrily. "Can you not see it? We need a balance of good and evil, which we have! I'm evil, therefore I fight!"

"Then come to the good side!" I shout back, fast to losing it as well.

"Come over to the dark side." He suggests.

"What? No, I can't do that!"

"You see!" He smiles and points at me. "You can't because you're good! Something inside of you just won't give! The same for me, only vice versa!"

"You used to be good!" I argue, but he shakes his head.

"Don't you see, Mauricious? I never was! Think back to our childhood, you were always obeying mother's instructions, staying in the tree. I always wanted to disobey, strived to be the bad child, explore the wilderness. When we came to Thsaa's realm, you were cautious, I was not. You wanted to hang on to our culture, I wanted to break free. I never was good of heart, Mauricious! But you were!"

"Stop it!" I yell at him. "Shut up! Stop taking!"

"Gladly." He snarls, and runs at us.

"What do we do?!" Trust gasps, as the ground shakes with my brother's power.

"Leave that to me." I tell him. I close my eyes and clench my fists, searching for the right pull on the earth. I find it, and pull up. The monastery rises immediately on a huge tower of rock, high into the clouds. Trust and Thsaa both scream as we rise, and cling to each other's arms. Before we go too high, I stop, and the monastery is left, balancing dangerously on the top of a huge mountain. Thrust and Thsaa stare at me, bewildered.

"Ha! Climb that brother!" I shout, though he almost definitely can't hear me.

"Whoa!" Trust gasps. "I didn't even know you were capable of something like that!"

"Yes, I've seen you grow clothes and swords, but never mountains!" Thsaa tells me.

"I've been saving my strength." I reply. Thsaa suddenly gasps.

"But if you can create something like this, can't Thekallcius destroy it just as easily?" He asks me. This makes me worry.

"I suppose." I answer. "But-" I don't have time to say it, as the whole mountain rocks. For a moment, I think Thekallcius has heard him and set to destroying the mountain. But no, I see little explosions of rock heading up the mountain - stairs. He's destroying bits of the mountain to create stairs. Quite clever of him, I think.

"Come." I tell the others. "He'll be here soon, stairs don't take that long to climb. We have to prepare."

"Aren't we already prepared?" Trust asks.

"Not for hand to hand combat." I say. He gasps.

"That's right." I tell him. "I don't care if he's my brother. I don't care if I love him. We're going to kill him."

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It doesn't take long for Thekallcius to climb the stairs. Not long at all. We're still gathering weapons, plus locking away the golden weapons and Oni masks. We wouldn't have heard him approach at all, if it wasn't for Borg.

"Argh, stupid crab!" We hear from the courtyard.

"Damn it!" Thsaa cries, grabbing his sword. I do the same, and we run out. Thekallcius is there, the crab attached to his foot, spitting. He growls and kicks the beast off.

"Get AWAY from him!" I hear, and Trust leaps off the roof, a bow in his hands. Before I can do or say anything, the human shoots, and the arrow lands straight in my brother's chest.

For a moment, I think Trust has done it. That he's killed him. I prepare to cheer, prepare to feel the sadness that will rise up. But Thekallcius only stumbles back, and pulls the arrow out. There's scarcely any blood.

He laughs. "You seriously think a mere ARROW could defeat me?! I am more powerful than you could possibly dream! I could make your head explode by blinking!"

"Then why don't you?" Trust says with a scowl, determined not to be afraid.

"I would, but my dear brother would always stick it back together again." He snaps with a mirroring scowl. "Just like your leg!" Trust frowns, and beckons Borg, who seems to have become his pet of sorts. The crab scuttles towards him and the two back away. I sense that it's my turn. I take a deep breath and step forwards.

"I'm not afraid of you, Thekallcius." I tell him. "Just leave them alone." I gesture to Thsaa and Trust. "Me and you. No weapons, just our magic." I narrow my eyes. "A fight to the death."

"Hmm, you've grown up." Thekallcius tells me. "I accept. As long as it will take, Mauricious, I accept."

"Mauricious, don't-" Trust protests, but I hold up my hand.

"Look after your crab, Trust." I tell him. "And find a way to get Thsaa home to his children."

"No, Mauri, you're not going to die!" Thsaa protests.

"Shut up, ream crosser!" Thekallcius snarls. "This does not concern you!" And we face each other.

Thekallcius summons a ball of fire in his hand, destructive material. He prepares to throw it at me, but I create a stream of water and drench it out of existence. My brother scowls, and the ground beneath me cracks. I dart out of the way before I fall to the centre of the planet. It would be my turn to pose a hit if we were playing fair, but siblings never play fair. He runs at me, and it becomes physical combat. His kicks are sharp and fierce, so I punch, and punch hard. He reels back, spitting blood from his mouth.

"For someone so sweet and kind, you have a nasty streak." He growls at me.

"For someone whose kicks are so pathetic, you seem big with your words!" I snap back, and knee him hard in the groin. He gives another growl, and his eyes flash purple. For some reason, I'm no longer fazed. He punches me hard in the face, so hard I'm thrown back and crash against the monastery wall. I can't get up, I'm dazed, the world spins around me. Thekallcius grins, and summons fire once more. I can feel my own blood trickling onto my mouth. The blood we share. Am I going to lie here and let my brother kill me? Certainly not!

I try to get up, but can't.

"It's over, Mauricious!" Thekallcius snarls. "Evil WINS!"

"Yeah, well a good fighter never quits!" I hear. Trust stands in front of my brother, two golden weapons in his hand - the Sword of Fire and the Scythe of Quakes. Through my blurred vision, I see Thsaa at his side, holding the Nunchucks of Lightning in one hand, and a Shuriken of Ice in the other. Just one. Thekallcius notices too.

"You forgot a blade." He sneers.

"Did I?" Thsaa asks coolly, and then I see a streak of gold flash through the air, and Thekallcius darts out of the way just in time. He stares at the golden weapons with a slight touch of doubt in his deep, purple eyes. Then he shakes it off.

"You don't even know how to use those!" He snaps at them.

"No. But I bet we're fast learners." Trust smiles, waving the sword, and the blade ignites. This surprises all three of us, especially me and my brother. I've never seen the Sword of Fire do that before. Thekallcius growls and stamps his foot, but he knows when he's beaten. He takes a step back.

"This isn't over!" He shouts. "Mark my words, this ISN'T OVER! SOON, NINJAGO WILL KNEEL BEFORE THEIR OVERLORD!" He turns his face to the sky and transforms into his dragon, shooting into the clouds. Thsaa and Trust watch as he disappears, then drop the weapons and come over to me.

"Mauricious! Are you alright?" Trust asks nervously.

"Yeah, I think so." I tell him, lifting my hand to wipe the blood from my face. It stains my sleeve with dark red. "I'll be fine."

"Thank goodness we got rid of him." Thsaa mutters.

"He'll be back." I tell him. "He won't give up."

"Well neither will we." Trust tells me, helping me to my feet.

"Whose idea was it with the weapons, anyway?" I ask them. "It was a good one."

"It was Trust's." Thsaa admits. "Yes, it was a good idea." Trust smiles at him and Borg the crab scuttles in the background.

"We'll fight on." I agree. "As a team."

 **For those of you who didn't quite grasp it, Mauricious is the First Spinjitzu Master, and Thekallcius is the Overlord. Well done to JAVann360, who predicted this :)**

 **Anyone have ideas for why the Sword of Fire lit up for Trust?**


	13. Corruption

**Unlucky Thirteen! Well, unlucky for our three protagonists.**

War has never excited me. Violence has always seemed unnecessary to me, growing up surrounded by a stupid and pointless war between our ancestors and our parents, though they never let it divide them. I remember promising myself that I would never fight a war, not for myself, not for anyone.

I never expected to break that promise. Especially not to fight a war against my brother.

But here we are. What a crazy world we have created for ourselves.

"What would the next step be?" Thsaa asks me, munching on a beef sandwich as the three of us recline in the sun, in the monastery courtyard, on top of the mountain. Lunch is lunch, and the meal cannot be deterred.

"I suppose we defeat my brother." I sigh. "Not that I have a clue how, though. Our powers seem evenly matched."

"They are evenly matched." Trust comments, finishing his cheese sandwich. "That 'fight to the death' was one of the most ferocious I've ever seen in my life!"

"You clearly haven't seen many fights." Thsaa mutters. "I can't count the amount of times I've defended my village from the likes of the dragon. I've seen men plucked from their beds and snapped in half as easily as your sandwich. I've seen my own daughter beat up a wolf with a frying pan before it devoured her. My father was destroyed by the dragons."

"Burnt to a crisp inside your childhood house." I say, laying my own sandwich down for Borg the crab to scuttle over and devour. "He passed you out of the window to your mother."

Thsaa gives me a guarded frown. "How do you know that?"

"You told me. The first time we met, more than twenty years ago." He shrugs.

"I don't remember much of our encounter. Only the two boys, one dark haired, who could grow clothes out of nothing, and one pale haired, who held a knife to my throat."

"It'll happen again." Trust mutters darkly, as his crab comes over so Trust can rub it's shell. I swear the thing's getting bigger, I do not want to see how big it is when it's fully grown.

"Anyway, back to the matter at hand." Thsaa stands up. "What weapons do we have against Thekallcius?"

"The golden weapons." I say.

"The Oni masks." He suggests. Trust gives a clueless shrug.

"Borg?" He gestures to his pet crab.

"If you keep feeding it, it'll be bigger than this monastery." Thsaa tells him. We all stand up now, the lunch break over. We're ready once more.

"I suggest we go find my brother." I tell them. They frown in confusion. "Well, he knows where we are, to find him when he thinks we're still here would be a huge advantage."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Trust shrugs. "Let's go get weapons and food and prepare for a quest!"

"Hold up!" Thsaa holds up his hand. "Don't you think we're rushing into this a bit? Shouldn't we make a plan, figure out which territories to search?"

"We'll figure it out." I tell him. "I'm done waiting. I want this battle to be over as soon as possible, which means right now."

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Four figures trek through the woods, if you count Borg. Ahead, Thsaa, the warrior, his long hair blowing in the slight breeze. He's said that he usually ties it in a bun for battle, but now it's out, showing the direction of the wind. His knife is clutched in his hand. Next, me, Mauricious, the immortal, all powerful, deeply saddened, the one that everyone seems to rely on. His hair needs a trim, and he carries a sack with most of the the golden weapons inside, plus the ability to create his own blade at will. Borg the crab, scuttling past everyone, usually at his master's side, his pincers sharpened enough to kill. And carrying up the rear, Trust, the first human, the Sword of Fire strapped to his back and a regular bow and arrow in his hands. He examines the woods that surround us for any sign of danger.

"How far have we come?" Thsaa whispers as we steal through the woods. "You know this land better than I do."

"I thought I knew this area like the back of my hand." Trust whispers back. "But this, I have never seen before." We stop and he points towards the left. My mouth drops open.

The beautiful woods that I created, about twenty meters away from us, has become blackened and shrivelled, darkened. Just like Thekallcius's heart.

"What happened!" I gasp.

"It looks like something's turning the land dark, rotting it." Thsaa mutters, coming over to the infected area, and lightly touching the grey dust that covers the floor. He yelps and jumps back. We run over to him.

"It's spreading!" He gasps, holding out his hand, which is turning grey. I quickly take his hand in mine, and try to reverse the effects. I miraculously works, and his finger returns to it's usual shade.

"Thanks." He sighs, shaking his fingers. Trust and Borg have come over as well, and Borg tries to run over the grey ground, but Trust grabs him just in time.

"No." He says firmly. "Even if I have to carry you, you're not getting infected!" Borg squirmed, but Trust held him firm. "What could have done this?" He asks no one in particular.

"Not what." I tell him with a sinking feeling/suspicion. "Who."

"Who?" He asks. What do you- no."

"Yes." I sigh. "My brother appears to be fighting in a whole different scale, he's corrupting Ninjago!"

"That's right." Says a chilling voice, and we're grabbed from behind and their screams fill my ears, and the whole world goes black.

 _IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

"Thekallcius." I mutter the moment my memories come back. Everything's still black, but I feel a hood over my head, explaining my sudden blindness. I raise my voice because I know he's there.

"Thekallcius!"

"Mauricious!" I hear his familiar voice, confirming my suspicions.

"What did you do!" I snap at him, lifting my head up. I'm tied up on the ground that feels dusty somehow, perhaps the grey dust we saw earlier. Oh crikey, what if I'm corrupted, what about Trust and Thsaa and Borg (not that I care much about the crab)?! Are they corrupted, are they evil, are they DEAD?!

"What do you mean?"

"To Ninjago!" I snap at him, though my heart is filled with fear now. "To the land, and to us? Where are Thsaa and Trust?"

I don't hear an answer.

"Where are they!" I raise my voice to a shout. "WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS?!"

"Relax, they're fine, not even corrupted by the dark matter." He tells me in his cool, calm voice. I can tell he's smiling, mocking my fear. "For now."

"Dark matter? So that's what that stuff is then?"

"Yes. An interesting material among many interesting materials I found in a forgotten area of Ninjago. Pure evil, just like me! It seems I created something here after all."

I say nothing, because where I once felt love, somehow there's hatred.

"That's how I can win this war, not weapons, not 'friendship'." He pronounces the word like it's a giant crab your brother sent and your friend befriended so you can't get rid of it. "No, by my own terms, my own means." He stops to see if I have anything to say on the matter.

"Take this hood off my face." I tell him, my voice thick with malice. I can practically see him rolling his eyes, and then the hood is whipped off my face. I blink in the bright sunlight and discover that I'm lying on a beach at the edge of a thick jungle. Thekallcius sits in front of me on the sand. I want to hit him, but I'm tied up. I can't see anyone else.

"Where are Thsaa and Trust?" I demand, and he laughs.

"They're fine, though my henchmen may have got sick of them and turned them evil by now." He tells me.

"Henchmen? What henchmen-" But then I see it.

At first I thought it was a statue, but then I realised it was moving. An ugly creature made from stone, red and black with a ying yang symbol on it's front and a spear in it's hand. I try to scramble back, away from it. Thekallcius laughs as it reaches him and says some words in a language that is harsh to my ears. My brother nods, then looks at me.

"Ah yes, you see them. My indestructible stone warriors, made from another miraculous evil material I found here. Quite beautiful, don't you think?"

"They're ugly and sick." I tell him. "Just like your soul." He laughs again.

"What language do they speak?" I ask. "What did it say?"

"They speak my language, an ancient one of the Oni." My brother informs me. "And if you're so interested, it told me that the crab we captured is ready to roast for my supper. Care to join me for a bite?"

Even though I would gladly cook that crab myself, my heart jolts at the thought of Trust and what he would do if he found my brother and me devouring Borg."

"Never!" I spit at him, and do what I should have done immediately. I conjure a sword and slice through the rope. Thekallcius takes a step back, it's clear that he wasn't expecting that. I stand up and give him one last look of hatred, then transform into my dragon form and take off. I can tell, once he gets over his shock, Thekallcius will give chase, but I'll be a giant crab if I let my brother prove to anyone that he's faster than me.


	14. Thsaa Ciras

**Some dark violence and tragedy coming up!**

I fly as fast as I can, Thekallcius somewhere behind, I really don't care. The others need me, and I need to find them.

My eyes scan the forest, and then I see it. A camp, a fire, and as my dragon eyes peer down at it, two men, tied up back to back.

Thsaa and Trust. I go into a dive and land next to the fire in a huge plume of dust. Everyone turns my way in shock, the stone warriors and all, but I don't care, I barely see as I run to the two tied up men.

Then I realise. They're not Thsaa and Trust. They're two random men whom I have never seen before. And they're both dead. I look around wildly, then an arrow shoots past me, embedding itself in a tree not three feet away. I turn, shocked to see...

Trust atop of a rocky ledge, his bow in his hands and a grin on his face.

"Die, you stone b- Oh, hello Mauricious!"

"Trust!" I exclaim. "What the, how..."

"Those walking statues were idiots if they thought they could keep us caged!" He shouts down, then catches hold of a vine growing on a tree from above him, and he swings right down, landing in front of me in a crouch.

"We?" I ask, bewildered, then another figure swings from a parallel rocky ledge on another vine, right over the campfire and lands next to Trust.

"Trust and Thsaa, ultra fighting team!" Thsaa says with a grin, wielding his sword. I half expect Borg to swing from a third vine, because anything is possible at this point. But no, the crab scuttles around the campfire, clicking his pincers.

"Mind if we add Mauricious to the mix?" I ask with a grin. I conjure a sword and the four of us turn to Thekallcius, landing in the dust behind us.

"Don't just stand there, you idiots!" He shouts to his stone warriors. "Get them!"

"Don't just stand there guys, get them!" I shout back. And chaos ensues. Honestly, our swords are no match against walking statues. But we're faster than them, and smaller. We dart in and out of the hoards that keep coming. I see Thsaa and Trust attempt to knock them down, but fail. But I also see my brother, watching us, watching me.

I make my way towards him.

"Call them off now Thekallcius." I say in a dark tone. He scoffs.

"And why should I do that?"

"Because I can do, this!" I dart forwards, conjuring something in my hand. He expects it to be a sword, I suppose, so dodges out of the way.

But it's no sword. And him moving in that direction was exactly what I expected.

I conjure up a sharp, edged whip, the sort that, if wrapped around the body in a certain way, could kill a man.

It wraps around Thekallcius's neck and, before he can even say a word, I jerk my wrist back and cut my brother's throat.

For a moment, his eyes flash green again, just a flash of that boy I once loved.

Then it's gone. And he gives me a look of shock, as if he never expected me to be able to kill him. But he's wrong, and I have cut my brother's throat and his body sinks to the ground as I release my grip on my whip.

"Hail and farewell, brother." I mutter as he dies.

"Whoa." Thsaa and Trust come to my side. "You, did it."

"Yeah, I guess." I say. I thought I'd feel sad, or triumphant. But really, I feel nothing. It's almost like, like...

Like he's not really dead.

"Get back!" I shout, pushing my friends backwards as a shadow rises from Thekallcius's body.

It's him. I don't believe it, it's Thekallcius, rising from his own body, laughing. And all the stone warriors laugh with him.

"Why THANK you Mauricious!" He exclaims, this grinning shadow with the purple eyes. "I was wondering when you would finally do it!"

"Do what?" I gasp, stepping back, but I see out of the corner of my eye, the stone warriors grabbing Trust and Thsaa off the ground. They scream out for me, but I can't help them, I can't help anyone, I'm just helpless myself. Borg gets kicked over, so can't help either.

"Kill me, of course!" Thekallcius cries, coming closer, sort of gliding over the ground. "Remember, neither of us can die while the other survives. So now I can never truly die! You have released my full power, Mauricious, and I cannot thank you enough!"

I gasp as the true realisation of what I've done, dawns on me. I have made Thekallcius more powerful than ever, more powerful than...

Than me.

We're no longer in balance.

He can win.

"Ninjago is mine at last!" He cries, raising his arms. "Kill them!" He shouts to the stone warriors. "Starting with... him." He raises his arm and points...

Right at Thsaa.

"No!" I scream, but I'm too late, because the stone warrior holding Thsaa turns him around and punches him in the chest, so hard that...

A hole appears. He punches right through Thsaa's chest. Thsaa gasps as his heart flies out and out of sight.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I scream as his body is dropped to the ground, limp. I scramble over to him.

"No, Thsaa, no." I whisper, tears already falling from my eyes. Then his eyes open.

"It's alright, Mauri." He whispers. "My people, they can survive a few minutes... without hearts."

"Thsaa, I'm so sorry!" I gasp as he holds my hand with his bloodstained fingers. "I promised that you'd get to return home, to your children, your family... I could have sent you home before, I dragged you into a war in which you had no place."

"It's OK." He whispers. "I'm a warrior, ever since I threw the bag containing the elements of creation at two strange, half blooded creatures. And, over twenty years later, one of them orders my death and I die in the other's arms. It's been a pleasure to fight along side you, Mauricious. And you, Trust."

I turn, remembering Trust, who is just staring, wide eyed, his blue eyes filled with tears. But he says nothing, he's completely speechless.

"Tell my children daddy loves them." Thsaa tells me, his words getting even more faint as he dies in my arms. "Tell Mauriette, I hope she is as brave and amazing as her namesake, and no matter what people tell her, she can be the warrior she wishes to be. Tell Theke he'll always be my brave little boy, and he'll fight off his peers, no problem. I believe in him. I believe in both of them."

"I will." I tell him. He smiles.

"Remember my name, the name of my tribe." He whispers, his words strangled. "My true name; Thsaa Ciras. I know what it means now. Thsaa means Believer, and Ciras means, Friend."

"You have lived up to it." I tell him. One last smile, then I see the light fade out of his eyes.

He's gone. Thsaa is gone. He is dead, in my arms and it is all my fault.

"Well, that was all very touching." Thekallcius pretends to wipe a tear from his eye. "Well, let's watch it all again, shall we? Kill the human!"

The stone warrior turns Trust around, but then drops him in surprise.

Thsaa is lifting his hand. And in his hand is fire.

"You killed Thsaa." He whispers. "You murdered Thsaa Ciras, Believer, Friend, greatest warrior of his homeland, my friend, you murdered him!"

Thekallcius opens his mouth to say something else smug, I suppose.

But Trust explodes.


	15. The Master of Fire

I can't believe my eyes. One minute, Trust was on the verge of crying, now he's alight, alight with fire. He's on fire and... it doesn't seem to be burning him.

The stone warrior drops him to the ground and stumbles away, but quickly catches fire too. It runs, and suddenly, all of them burst into flames.

"Whoa!" I scream, jumping back from the burning statues. "Trust-"

"You killed him!" Trust yells in a dark tone. "I'll MURDER YOU!" He approaches the shocked Thekallcius, still alight with fire.

"Mauricious!" Thekallcius yells. "What did you DO to him!"

"Don't pin this on me!" I snap at him. "You're a monster, and deserve to be burnt to a crisp." But I'm as clueless as he is.

Thekallcius suddenly seems to remember that he's technically already dead, and stops stumbling backwards. He stands up to his full height, transforms into his dragon form and takes off into the air. I don't follow because I don't care. I run to trust, who's shooting fire into the sky.

"Trust? Trust, calm down!" I beg him.

"They killed Thsaa!" He yells in my face. "He's DEAD do you not care!"

"I care!" I say calmly and softly. "Look, his blood is on my fingers!" For some reason, I thought this would have a calming effect on Trust, and it does, sort of. He shuts his eyes and the fire burns softly, mostly leaving his body.

"Blood has been spilt." He mutters to himself. "Innocent blood and I will not let this call for death go unanswered!"

"Yes, yes, we'll have our revenge." I say soothingly. "But for now, why don't you just... put yourself out."

For the first time, Trust seems to notice that he's on fire. He looks at the stumbling, burning stone warriors and my scared face. The fire dies and he collapses to the ground, panting hard. I sit beside him.

"How did you get all that fire?" I ask him. He shrugs.

"It just... came. I didn't even notice."

"It's like back at the monastery." I tell him. "When you got the sword to ignite. I think you must have some sort of... fire power!"

Trust frowns. "I know a guy, back at the village. He can tell us." As he turns to walk away, he seems a bit of a changed man, more secluded and to the point. Not at all like the Trust I know. He picks up Borg and rights the crab again, giving it's shell a fond pat, but nothing more.

Behind me, Thsaa's corpse bursts into flames.

I turn away and hurry after Trust.

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I rarely travel down the villages and towns of Ninjago, neither does Thekallcius. I can't imagine him doing it now, unless it's to corrupt the land. But we eventually make it back to the village and to a little shack house on the edge. There is no door, just a faded, red cloth as a curtain. Trust calls into it.

"Hello? Zairokin?"

"Trust?" An old man sticks his head through the curtain. His eyes widen as they see Trust's blackened clothes, giant crab, and uninvited guest, AKA me.

"Come inside." He whispers, and pulls us into the shack.

It's a small, homely place with a circular table, also covered in red cloth, small cupboards and a pile of blankets for a bed. It has no windows and very little light. It's owner has his brown, wrinkled finger to his lips and beckons us to a rug in the corner. He lifts it to reveal a trapdoor with a ladder, and starts to climb down.

"Come on!" He hisses to us.

Trust looks doubtfully at the hole.

"There is no way Borg will fit down that."

"Leave him up here." I tell him, already approaching the ladder. "Come on, that crab's a monster, he doesn't exactly need protecting." Trust rubs Borg's shell one last time, then follows me down.

We follow the old man, Zairokin, I assume, down a dirt passage until we arrive at a room, completely hollowed out of the dirt. One look at Trust's face shows that he also has no idea what's going on.

"Trust, who is he?" I ask, but the old man whips around to face me.

"Ah, you ask questions, I see. Good for you, as long as you ask the right ones, Mauricious." My eyes widen.

"You, you know my name?" The old man laughs.

"Yes, of course. Everyone knows of the two men who live in the monastery high on the hill, of unusual parentage. Not many know their names, but I have used the smoke to gaze into fortune and destiny itself! I know who you are and where you come from, Mauricious. And I know the fate of your brother, Thekallcius."

"How his will has... changed?"

"Yes, you could call it that."

I nod. "That's very good and all, but who are you. Are you from Thsaa's realm?"

The old man shakes his head. "No. I do not know anyone by that name, but I am from this realm. My name is Zairokin. I am a human, but I have a gift, the unique concentration to use the smoke gazing to see the future, past and present. I have been dubbed crazy by the locals, but I have seen something of out present, a deep power that not even you, nor your brother, were ever aware of."

"What is it?" I ask anxiously.

Zairokin takes a deep breath. "What do you know of the Elements of Creation?"

"Earth, Lightning, Ice and Fire." I say immediately. "Me and my brother used them to create Ninjago. Well, I did." He nods.

"Yes, those are the four main elements, the elements of creation, left by the dragons in every realm they created should the locals ever have to use them, even though someone ordinary would be unable to. But what you do not know is that there are others."

"Others?" I gasp. "Other elements?" He nods.

"Many, many others, not as powerful, but still there. For twenty odd years, they floated around the realm, looking for hosts, and I do believe they have found them. Humans whose qualities match their own. For Ice, peaceful, sturdy and reliable. For wind, flexible, strong and willing to be the best. For Amber, willing to change in an instant, and suit the needs of those around them. You get the idea."

"Whoa!" Trust exclaims, revealing that he hadn't bee aware of this either. "So people can control these elements? People here?"

"Yes scattered throughout Ninjago, there are, what I would call, Elemental Masters."

"What happens when they die?" I ask, making them both stare at me oddly. "I mean, does their corpse continue to control the element?"

"Oh goodness no!" Zairokin exclaims. "I'm not entirely sure, but I do believe they can either have children to pass the element on give the element up so it must find a new host, or perhaps it dies with them. I don't know for sure."

"Are you looking for these Elemental Masters, then?" Trust asks nervously. Zairokin nods.

"Yes. I would like to learn more about their powers, if they are able to use them at will, or if it is far more complicated."

"Well, good luck with that." Trust says briskly. "We best be going." Both me and Zairokin frown.

"Didn't you come to ask something?" He asks us. "Or pick up that invention of yours?"

"Invention?" I ask. Trust shrugs. "Yes, something I have been working on. A device that allows us to communicate with the past! Unfortunately, the locals are too underdeveloped to understand, with me being close to immortal after all, but Zairokin can see the future sometimes, and lets me work on it here."

Talk to the past. Talk to your past self?

"Is it ready?" I ask nervously. "The device, is it ready?"

"Almost." Trust tells me. "I just need to work out a few safety hazards, test it, then-"

"No time." I say briskly. "With the rate of my brother's attacks, we won't be alive much longer." I turn to the doorway.

"Show me." I begin to say, but then the ceiling shakes, dirt rains down on the three of us and a massive stone warrior falls through it, landing in front of us. It raises it's sword.

"That way!" Trust points behind us. "Even if it wasn't, I'd still say, that way!"

"Let's go!" Zairokin shouts, and the three of us run like we're the Master of Speed.


	16. Past Mauricous

**Yeah, I really don't know if anyone's reading this anymore. But I write anyway because ninja never quit :)**

My heart hammers in my mouth as we run. It's been ages, but we can't stop, because I can hear the shouts and footsteps of the stone warriors behind us.

"How much further?" I call to Trust, who's running ahead.

"Not much further, but we have to lose them!" He shouts back.

"We won't be able to. My tunnels are simply not long enough!" Zairokin pants from behind us.

Damn it. I just hope this workshop has a door, because if not, I'm making one.

"Here!" Trust calls, diving sideways through a doorway. I wait until we're all in, then create a heavy steel door to cover the entrance. The stone warriors pound on it furiously as we catch our breath.

"That won't hold them for long!" I say. "Where's this device, Trust?"

"Here." He gestures to a metal box, with small, multi-coloured things sticking out from it.

"Those are called wires." He says proudly. "I invented them myself. The whole device is a mixture of tech and magic, a concept that the locals find devious, but myself-" He stops when he realises that we have no idea what he's talking about. "Oh, um right. This box sends your message to your past self, but only works while they are in travelling state, between two worlds. You stand in front of the light, just here."

The door rattles and a small crack appears.

"I'll hold them off." Zairokin wheezes, gripping a knife in his belt. We nod, then turn to Trust's device.

"Put your hand here. It'll send your message." Trust points, and I move my hand to the spot.

"Exactly why are you contacting your past self right now? Shouldn't we be escaping?"

"It won't take long and, it's important." Somehow I know that his device will be destroyed by the stone army and if I can just send that message I can warn my past self.

This all could be stopped. Thsaa could live. I can set it right!

"OK, go!" Trust pushes a button on the device and I plant my hand onto the spot.

Everything goes black.

But not quiet. Though I feel as if I'm floating and there's a slight rushing in my ears, I can hear Trust and Zairokin's cries, the banging on the door, and feel my hand on the device. This place is strange, it only really compares to the void where we created Ninjago. I look around and then I see him. See his light.

I call out to him.

"Mauricious!"

He looks at me, confused. I can tell everything he's thinking, because I thought is, twenty years ago I thought the same thing.

"Who, who are you?" He doesn't even recognise me. Doesn't even recognise himself.

"I am you, the future you, I carry a warning." Again, I can tell what runs though his head. Creepy.

"Warning of what?" He asks, but I hear a horrible scream from the fighting in the background, a familiar scream.

"Trust!" I cry, then realise what my past self just heard. The three lots of two words that run though his head, but my heart is too filled with fear to care.

"I must go!" I say quickly.

"Wait, what?" I'm about to take my hand away from the device, when I see his face. He's so confused, and I just want him to be safe. Let him have his twenty years of fun in his new world. But what then?

"I'm sorry." I tell him.

Again, he's confused.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?"

"Everything." I take my hand off the device and my world fills with light and I stumble backwards, away from the device. The stone warriors are almost here,, and a few stone fists have punched their way through the door. Trust is clutching his eye that must have been hit by one of them. I create a sword instantly and throw it at some of the fists. Trust and Zairokin turn to see me there.

"Did you send the message?" Trust asks anxiously. I shake my head.

"Is your eye OK?"

"Yes, but send that message so we can get out of here!" He looks anxious, but holds the Sword of Fire, unlit, but looking like a true hero, a true warrior.

He is. Just like Thsaa. He can handle himself and Zairokin for a few more minutes, I know it.

I hit the button myself and place my hand back on the device.

I'm back, but the mood's different. It's a different time. I know it, I can sense it. He's just escaped Thsaa's home realm. He's far more afraid.

I'm tempted to tell him that he'll see Thsaa again. Command him to protect him. Let him know that this is not the last time he'll see a face of evil Thekallcius.

But I don't.

"Mauricious!"

"You!" He cries, turning. "You're back! Future me!" I know he's happy to see me. He's so confused and hopes I can offer some clarity.

Well, he'd better prepare for some disappointment.

"Yes, and I couldn't warn you last time. I apologise, but there isn't a lot of time when you travel realms. Your body is between two worlds." He still looks confused, and I know he's also slightly annoyed. Well, he'd better get used to it, because that's my daily mood nowadays.

"OK." He says. "You were saying something about trust..."

He's not ready to know about his future friends yet, I can tell.

"Oh, ignore that. Listen, you must remember what happened, let it prepare you." He has no idea that I'm talking about his confrontation with Thsaa's village, and Thekallcius's behaviour. "Something bad will-" I hear Trust shout in the background.

"There's not a chance in the fifteen realms you're getting out of this alive!"

"There are fifteen realms, what have I taught you?!" I take my hand a little away from the device to yell at him, then hurridly snap back into past Mauricious's hearing, hoping I haven't missed him.

He's still here thank goodness. And even more confused.

"Err, what?"

"Sorry about that." I take a breath and continue, even though there's no oxygen here. "Something bad will happen and it will break you. But you must let yourself be mended. It mustn't break you beyond repair." As I say this, I give a thought to my situation. This advice, it still applies. I mustn't let myself be permanently broken. I will fight on. As Trust said, a good fighter never quits.

But my past self is confused again. "Oh, erm, OK." He'll understand later. Or now. I'll tell him now, anything to help this scared and lost little boy in front of me.

"Good." I nod. "Now-" But before I get any farther though, I feel myself being wrenched away from the device and I'm back, back in my world, in the arms of a huge stone warrior. I look at Trust with fear, as he's in the same situation. Zairokin is bleeding from a cut on his forehead, but looks OK in the arms of his stone warrior. Well, alive at least.

"Well, this is nice." I groan instinctively at the sound of his voice. Him. My brother.

"Well, hello again." I say sarcastically. If I'm going down, I'm not going to show him any satisfaction.

"What is this thing?" He spits, gesturing to Trust's device. "It's ugly. What is it Mauricious?"

"A mirror." I say with a smirk and Trust giggles. Thekallcius growls and the stone warriors hit us on the sides of our heads, making my head swim with pain. Trust gives a gasp of pain, and then groans.

"Not so funny now, is it!" Thekallcius shouts angrily. He turns to Trust, and now I start trying to fight, because I'm not going to let what happened to Thsaa happen to Trust.

"No, leave him alone!" I shout, trying to get my hand free to create something, anything that will help.

"Oh don't worry Mauricious." Thekallcius says with his malicious grin. "I won't kill him. Yet." He extends an arm towards Trust, who squirms in fear.

"No!" I cry out. "What are you-" But my words are cut off as Thekallcius clenches his fist and Trust screams, an awful scream that fills my ears, shaking in the warrior's arms. Tears run down his face as he screams in agony. I scream too, over and over, begging for Thekallcius to stop, but he doesn't, and Trust is dropped to the ground, still shaking and gasping.

"Trust!" I shout. "Trust, are you-"

"Mauricious!" He screams, shaking madly in pain. "My, argh, my LEGS!"

"What did you DO!" I demand from my brother. He laughs as Trust gasps and shakes on the floor.

"Oh just destroyed all the bones in your friend's leg. He won't be laughing again in a hurry!" He laughs and I look hopelessly down at my friend, who's clutching his mauled limbs.

"Trust!" I say helplessly. He looks at me and I see the agony in his eyes.

Then fire.

He lifts his hand, and it bursts into flames. Zairokin gasps.

"You'll regret this!" He growls, then raises his head upwards, to the dirt ceiling.

"I know you're there!" He calls, and the ceiling seems to explode for the second time, and a truly enormous crab drops through. It's giant pincers snap at the stone warriors, cutting off stone heads, though they do keep rolling their eyes around and moving. I'm dropped to the ground and run to Trust.

"I can't walk." He whispers, and I can tell he's on the verge of passing out. Zairokin comes over, dropped as well.

"We need to get out of here!" He says.

"How? The entrance is blocked!" I tell him as Borg causes more chaos and everyone tries to get to us to kill us. I scoop Trust up in my arms and spin wildly around.

"On the crab." Trust whispers, and reaches out a limp hand. "Borg?" Borg whirls around to face us. He's really huge now, and I can't help but feel a prickle of fear when I look him in the eyes.

"It's OK." Trust whispers. "Trust him." I shake my head sadly.

"Look where my trust got me Got us. Got you." I gesture at the advancing Thekallcius.

"Yes. It created me." He whispers before passing out. I take a deep breath, then look Borg in the eyes.

"Borg, we need your help. Can we ride you out of here?" I ask nervously. Borg looks down at his unconscious friend, then to my shock, nods.

I create a ladder against his shell and ascend it, Trust still in my arms. Zairokin follows.

"Hold on tight!" I say as Borg leaps into the air, out of the hole he made, with us screaming on his back. But we're free, away from the battle, away from all that pain and fear.

That's more than I can say for my past self. For him, it's only just beginning.


	17. Shadows of a past make way for a future

"I have to return to my village." Zairokin tells me. I give a weary nod.

"Of course. Do you need transportation?"

He shakes his head.

"No, I shall walk. The ride here didn't quite... agree with me, should we say? And besides, I need to get back to my granddaughter." I give him a small smile and nod.

"Good luck." He tells me. I nod again and he leaves.

I sigh and sit back at the chair, rubbing my face with my hands. Even though the night has passed, Trust still hasn't awoken, and Borg has been endlessly pacing back and forwards around the courtyard, waiting for his master to awake. I wait too, pacing around the bedroom I used to share. Last time we were in this monastery, Thsaa was here too. It's far too easy for my brother to find. I should leave.

But I can't. Not withot Trust. He's all I have left.

I look around the room, and see the shadows of the boys who started here, exploring their new home that the dark haired one created. A pillow fight. Jumping on new beds. Being children again, despite all that they'd been through.

Sad really. It's unlikely I'll ever be that happy again. But I imagine an alternate future, where Thekallcius never turned evil. No, when there was no war in our home realm. Our parents were free to love. Still alive. There may be many more children, like us. We're not unusual or different or freaks. We're normal.

If only. I never thought I'd miss my home realm. If only we'd never left.

Well, Trust would have never been created.

But Thsaa would never have died.

Can you miss what you never had?

Apparently so.

I run my hands through my hair. I'm sick of all this. Sick of losing people, sick of fighting my brother.

Why do I fight on then?

For Thsaa, so he didn't die in vain, I suppose. I'll do it in his memory, beat my brother for him. But this obviously isn't the way to do it - running away from every battle, letting Trust set things on fire and then escaping via giant crab. And now Trust has lost his legs and his consciousness. He's on the safe side of the fighting.

Which gives me an idea. A brilliant, crazy, stupid idea, that will never work in my very long and practically immortal lifeline.

But I'm going to try it anyway.

 _IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

"So..." I hear his chilling voice and see him appear out of the shadows, just a shadow himself now.

A shadow of his former, kinder, funnier self.

"You actually came." I am, frankly, a little surprised. I didn't really think he'd show up, and certainly not alone.

"Where's your army?" I ask.

"Watching." He replies. "Where's yours?"

"I did say we should meet alone."

"And I disobeyed. You're not in charge of me, Mauricious."

 _Don't go out of the tree, they'll catch you!_

 _You're not in charge of me, Mauri!_

"I summoned you here to end it all, Thekallcius." I narrow my eyes. "I'm sick of this battle."

His eyes narrow also. "As am I."

 _I'm sick of our parents's species fighting._

 _As am I, Mauri. But there's nothing we can do, I suppose. That's just the way of good and evil._

"Let's end it, here and now. Either I win, or you. No ceasefire, no backing down."

He grins, his horrible, evil grin. "I thought you'd never ask!"

 _Theke, I've been thinking. Let's get out of this place, just to two of us, start a new._

 _Mauri, I thought you'd never ask!_

He raises his hands, and I raise mine. His come alight in purple flame, and mine, gold. He hurls a burst at me, and I stop it with my god flames. I summon a blade and attack.

One touch to my sword, and it vanishes. He laughs at my sudden shock.

"Yes, weren't expecting that, were you?" He sneers.

 _He flips me onto my back and leaps onto my chest, his Oni pendant clutched in his hand, like he's about to kill me, but I know he won't. It's just a playfight._

 _Ha, weren't expecting that, were you?, he laughs, and lets me up._

In a flash, he flips me onto my back, and holds a fist of black flame, kneeling on my chest, though he's light, too light to be mortal.

I know I can't defeat him. But I know, someday, someone else will.

"You'll never defeat me, Mauricious!" I hear a certain, darkened tone in his voice. "Already, my dark matter has taken over half of Ninjago! I will soon have it all in my grasp! I will remake it in my own image!"

"We're brothers. We have to share nicely." I say with a grin, shove him away, roll out from under him, summon a blade that is different from the others that I have summoned before. I see a line, the grey corruption, and the fine, green grass of normal Ninjago. He's on one side, I'm on another.

"Do whatever you like on your side." I tell him with a grin, and drive my blade into the ground.

For a moment, nothing. Then there's a huge explosion, and a golden crack appears along the two colours. Thekallcius steps back, shocked. Then the ground shakes, and the two halves are pushed apart.

"What are you DOING?!" Thekallcius exclaims. "H, how are you DOING that!"

"You're not the only one with skills, remember?" I say with a grin. "I can't defeat you brother, but I know, someday, someone with my power, but feeling over hatred for you, can and he will. Untill then, you will have your 'Dark Island' and I will have Ninjago!"

This last part, I have to shout to him, as water appears between us, an entire sea.

"Goodbye Thekallcius!" I shout to him. I can see him scowling from here, but at the last moment, before he fades out of sight forever, I see him raise his hand and...

And wave goodbye. He's accepted it. Accepted that this battle won't be won today.

I fall to my knees and feel tears hot on my face. It's over! It's finally over! I'm safe, Trust is safe, the people of Ninjago are safe.

And I am free. I weep for all I've lost, all I have and all I have to gain.

"Goodbye Thekallcius!" I cry to the heavens. "May we never meet again!"

 **Don't worry guys, not quite the ending yet! :) But we're getting there :(**


	18. Goodbye to Trust

**Aww, we're almost at this story's end. Just a few more chapters :(**

 **But don't worry, part two will come out, not sure when, but it will!**

 **Until then, enjoy :)**

After a while, I found myself back at the monastery, and to my delighted surprise, Trust was peering out of a window as I arrived.

"Mauricious!" He exclaims happily. I feel the biggest smile I have ever smiled in my life reach my face. The war is over! Trust is awake! The crab may have stopped growing! It's all going to be OK!

"Trust!" I call happily back.

"Where did you go?" He asks. "I felt an earthquake or something, that's what woke me up, I think."

"That was me."

"What? What did you do and, why are you so happy?"

I come over to him and, through the window, I tell him the full story.

"So Thekallcius won't be bothering us again." I say with a proud smile. Trust returns it and there is so much joy in that smile for a man who can no longer walk.

"We need to celebrate!" He shouts, and hauls himself off the bed by the window. "Borg, come here!"

Somehow, Trust swings himself onto the crab's back and he holds his hand high, flame bursting out of his fist.

"Down to the village." I tell him. "We need to tell Zairokin."

 _IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

The pair of us come to Zairokin's shack, but the whole thing is a wreck and it's doubtful he'll be in there.

"He said something about a granddaughter." I mutter to myself. "Come, let's search."

The village was easy to search when you sit astride a giant crab, because the person you're looking for will usually figure out it's you on the crab and seek you out.

"Mauricous! Trust! You look successful!" The old man approaches us.

"Thekallcius is no longer a problem and Ninjago is safe!" Trust cries. "We wanted to celebrate and, for your help, you deserve to be included."

"That's brilliant!" Zairokin smiles. "But first, come with me. I have something to show you." He beckons, and Trust urges Borg down the road after the old man. We eventually arrive at a nice, bright monastery, which Zairokin enters. I come down off Borg's back and help Trust down as well, and sort of drag him with his arms over my shoulders.

"Well, this is rather undignified." He mutters. Zairokin leads us into the monastery courtyard where we see two dozen young men and women, all dressed in identical outfits that are in different colours. They all have hoods on their backs that will fit snug over their faces like masks with only eye holes.

"Mauricious, meet the elemental masters." Zairokin says proudly. "Each of them with their own element. I found them, and now I shall train them."

"Amazing!" Trust breathes. "So you found everyone?"

"No, not quite. I understand we're still missing a Master of Fire." Trust bites his lip. "But that Master of Fire in question seems trained enough and happy in his life where he belongs." He gives a smile which Trust returns.

"Master, should we start the dragon training?" A sixteen year old boy approaches Zairokin.

"Not yet Aaron, I'll be over in a minute." Aaron gives a nod, and runs off, really, really fast."

"Aaron Turner, Master of Speed." Zairokin tells us. "Well, I must train the younger masters in summoning elemental dragons." Zairokin gives a nod. "But I shall come to your monastery tonight."

"Thank you." I tell him. "And good luck with the students."

"Oh, I prefer another name for them." Zairokin tells us. "I call them my ninja." He smiles. "They're good fighters, like you said."

"A good fighter never quits." Trust mutters. "A ninja never quits."

"Exactly." Says Zairokin.

 _IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

It has been a long, long time since Zairokin uttered those words. He is dead now, sadly, but he was a great man, and very old.

The Elemental Masters have all gone into new generations, except for the Master of Fire, who remains the same. But something troubles Trust, I can tell. he doesn't live in the monastery, but we see each other often enough. But today, I know I will find out.

Trust appears at the monastery gates, as usual, atop of Borg. We sit inside the courtyard; he is propped up against a wall. After a few minutes of peaceful silence, Trust speaks.

"Mauricious, I need your help."

I give a curious frown.

"What is it?"

He sighs and looks out at the sun, at his crab that scuttles around the courtyard where the pair first met, when Borg could get exercise. He is almost as big as the monastery itself now. He barely fits.

"Mauricious, you know I'm ahead of these people in terms of inventions. I try to give them my ideas, but they are too, not to be rude, underdeveloped. I dream of vehicles that fly and artificial fighting courses. But that sort of thing, I don't have the capacity to make and they don't have the intelligence to use."

"So you want me to make them?"

He shakes his head.

"No. But I want to be in a place where people understand this, when we're all equally developed." He gives a sigh. "I'm sorry Mauricious, but I belong in the future. Where my ideas can make a difference."

I give him a nod, try to take this in. Trust leaving? Just like Thekallcius, like Thsaa? Like Zairokin? Well, if it's what he wants.

"Of course." I give him a false smile. He smiles back, relieved. "So, you want me to send you there?"

"Well, not on your own. I adapted that machine you used to communicate with your past self. It is now a one way time machine to the future, and I have programmed it to send me to the day after your descendant has defeated your brother."

This makes me smile, even though I haven't the slightest idea what 'programming' is.

"What about your element?" I ask him. He gives an embarrassed smile.

"I sort of sold it in the town square. It went to a man names Charles Smith." This makes me laugh.

"It seems you have it all figured out. Well, are you ready to go?"

He sighs. "I'm sad to leave you Mauricious, but come and visit me in the future."

"Someday I will succumb to my mortality, Trust. Before that day comes, I will travel forward myself and see you." He smiles wide and I return it. I help him stand and he goes over to Borg.

"I'm sorry you can't come with me, old friend." He rubs Borg's shell with affection and the crab bows it's head a little. Trust sighs.

"Look after him Mauricious."

"No way! I'll hide him in that dense jungle. He'll be fine." Trust smiles and rubs Borg's shell one last time. Then he gets out the familiar box. My hands glow with my power.

"Ready?" I ask.

"Thank you Mauricous. For everything." He smiles, and I give him a strained one, as there are tears in my eyes.

"Goodbye Trust." I whisper.

"You would have made a good father." Trust tells me, odd as it is. Then he places his hand on the box and I summon enough power to push him into the future and then...

He is gone.

My oldest friend. Now I only have Borg.

The crab comes closer and seems to sit next to me as I drop to my knees.

"Why did he have to go." I ask the crab. The crab doesn't answer, he's only a crab after all, however big.

But he's all the comfort I have.


	19. Ciras Borg (The End)

**Well, I guess I should inform you, this is our last chapter :(**

 **Enjoy :)**

After Trust left thirty years ago, I have noticed changes. The new Master of Fire seems more cocky, as his element wasn't really his to begin with. This trait seems to have been passed down to his children, which annoys me.

Also, the Oni masks disappeared.

This sent me into quite a panic at first, as I suspected they had been stolen and I'd be alone, dealing with this new threat. But no, I discovered a note from Trust, explaining that he took two with him, and the third, is still in it's temple, but Borg now guards it. Good crab.

But something Trust said has stuck with me. He told me that I'd be a good father. And seeing all these humans raising children, I can't help but think... I'd do better than them.

So I have done so.

It took a lot of effort and patience, but I created two children. Two boys. At the same time, each one with a different side, light and dark.

I tried to make the older one, the example setter, the light one. But I had no way of telling. So I simply based it on the colour of mine and Thekallcius's hair. I made the dark haired child older.

It seems that trait is insignificant, as Garmadon is clearly the Master of Destruction, and Wu, Creation. I just hope Wu can keep his brother on the lighter path, but the two do seem to be quite close. Sadly, although I love my boys, I must leave them behind.

Since the creation of my children, my mortality has caught up with me and I am close to my end. I still have some of my powers, but I am not as powerful as I once was.

But I know there is one promise I have yet to keep before my end.

I enter the room where my boys, the two young men I have fathered, sit, talking quietly.

"Wu? Garmadon?"

They look up at my entrance.

"Father?" Wu asks nervously. They have been talking about me.

"The time has come for me to leave you." I sigh sadly. Their reactions are as expected. They question, argue, Wu even begs.

"I'm sorry, but my journey with you two has ended." I tell them. "I shall leave you two here to journey onwards. Wu, would you come outside and speak with me."

Leaning on my staff, he comes with me to the monastery courtyeard, where Borg scuttles no more.

"Look after your brother, Wu." I tell him. "Keep him on the straight path."

"I will father. I-"

"And look after this." I hand him my staff.

"But, what?" He exclaims, taking it in his hands. "How will you ever journey without it?"

"I will be fine. But, there is a secret message I have left for you. It holds the location of my resting place and within that, there will lie something very special."

He gives a confused nod. The realm crystal is already there, but I will not be for a while.

And then I left him. I went to the cave where I stashed Trust's invention. I used it for the last time and travelled to a time where my oldest friend lives his life now.

It's a new and confusing era for me, glowing signs, buildings as tall as trees, and constant chatter. People wearing unfamiliar clothing and there are a lot of them. It' s town, a very big town. A city, I suppose.

I am already getting strange looks, due to my age, I guess. So I spot a single man on the street and manage to change my appearance to his. Plain face, young man, wearing a jacket and a strange hat with a flap poking out of the front.

I have no idea where to start looking for Trust, so I wander into the middle of all this chaos, onto a single circle of ground. Then I see it. A sort of pod, sticking out of the ground.

And on it, a face.

And that face belongs to Trust.

It takes me a few moments to realise what I'm seeing. it appears to be a picture of sorts, and Trust is pictured there, a little older, but still the same black hair and kind smile.

"Trust?" I ask aloud.

And then the picture moves and speaks to me. It makes me jump to see this.

"Hello? How may I be of assistance?" It's his voice as well.

"Trust?" I ask him.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand the question."

Either he's playing some joke, or this is an automated response of sorts.

"Erm, who are you?" I ask.

"I am Cyrus Borg, and this is an automated machine to answer your questions."

I laugh aloud. Ciras Borg. Thsaa Ciras. Borg the crab. A clever new name.

"Where are you?" I ask the face. I get shown a picture of a tower, which I can see in the distance. I grin wildly.

"I shall see you there, Ciras Borg."

I am in such a good mood that I even stop to laugh at an orange skinned, hook handed, pony tailed guy who bumps into me.

"Hey, watch it! Ha, nice hair bozo!"

I grin as he glares. One last time, I get to see my friend.

 _IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

I enter the office and see him at once, older, dressed differently, but still the same man. And even better, he sits astride a mechanical crab. I laugh. Borg ill probably be upset at his replacement.

"Hello?" He says, as if he doesn't know me, but I am in disguise. "How may I help you?"

"Trust, I-" I begin, and his face snaps into the biggest smile I have ever seen.

"Mauricious!" He gasps. "Wow, you, I didn't even recognise you!"

I let my disguise melt away and he gasps again.

"And you've aged!" He exclaims.

"It's been several years. "I tell him with a smile. "Good choice of name, by the way."

"That's how I knew it was you. No on else calls me that anymore."

"I take it they liked your inventions." I say with a smile, examining the crab he has built.

"Oh yes. By the way, I did have a nasty run in with your brother, but your grandson and his friends sorted him out!"

And he tells me, everything, the city, how Ninjago has developed, how my son leads a team of elemental warriors, ninja. And my grandson, Garmadon's son. I smile and listen. I'm content to hear Trust's story. As he is my oldest friend, I, Mauricous, does not wish to be anywhere else.

I suppose, Mauricious can die happy.

 **So, that's it, I suppose. Mauricious's life, Cyrus Borg was the first human ever created and Nadakhan got insulted by the creator of Ninjago.**

 **I want to thank each and ever one of you for reading! You really helped bring this story forward! :)**

 **I hope you've enjoyed it, and you enjoy all my future stories :)**


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